Arsenal: 3 cheaper replacements to Dayot Upamecano

1. Stefan Posch

Stefan Posch might be the best young defender that no one is talking about. The 22-year-old Hoffenheim centre-back has produced superb performances in the past two seasons. And yet, he never seems to get the attention or credit he deserves.

Posch is right-footed and stands at 6-foot-2. He is a modern-day centre-back, with good movement and composure on the ball. This season, he has averaged 3.57 tackles per 90, 2.98 blocks per 90, 1.43 interceptions per 90, and 4.94 clearances per 90, all of which are excellent figures for a centre-back. He produced 14.5 pressures per 90 and his team recovered the ball within five seconds on over a third of those, a sign of the effectiveness and timely nature of his pressing.

In possession, he is very smooth. Just under 80% passes completed, 62.1% completion rate on long passes, as well as 5.89 progressive passes per 90 and 3.21 passes into the final third per 90. He also plays 0.48 passes into the penalty area per 90. He miscontrols a pass only 0.6 times per 90 and is dispossessed only 0.6 times per 90, showing the care he takes with the ball at his feet.

Posch is still improving, has not yet reached his prime, and is a nice marriage of Ndicka’s wild potential and Hinteregger’s experience and organisation. He could be the perfect partner for William Saliba.