Arsenal: Top 5 pros and cons to Axel Disasi

Con: He pushes forward too much

This season was Disasi’s first as a regular first-team starter. You could tell. Before this season, he had only 23 senior appearances in his career. He is an extremely raw and unfinished product, which is the ideal prospect for a financially stretched Arsenal, who are looking for penny-on-the-pound products who they can develop themselves.

One of the crucial areas that they will have to address with Disasi is his aggressive positioning and decision-making, with and without the ball. He is a front-footed defender, which is a positive, but he sometimes veers too far ahead of himself, pushing out of the backline and pulling apart the collective defensive structure as a result.

In possession, he is a risk-taker. He averages 0.52 dribbles per 90 and 42.3 carries per 90, totalling 285.6 yards in total distance. He is capable, completing more than 70% of his dribbles, but as soon as he has recovered possession with a tackle or interception, his natural urge is to push forwards. Sometimes, he gets caught out as a result. He does not always look to recycle possession with a simple pass, rushes up the pitch, is dispossessed, and is now out of his defensive position as a result. His front-foot nature is positive. Mikel Arteta will relish it. But it must be controlled.