Arsenal: 15 left-back & right-back summer transfer targets

Noussair Mazraoui – Ajax

Strike when the iron is hot. Right now, it’s Amsterdam that is heating up with Noussair Mazraoui heading into the final year of his contract with Ajax.

As far as an upgrade on Belleirn, the Moroccan is just that. This is someone very well-rounded in every third of the pitch.

In possession on the attack, he creates numerous overlaps with quick clever passes in tight areas, utilising finesse on the ball to evade markers and find his teammates in gaps. In the central third, playing as the inverted full-back Arsenal should be after, he uses quintessentially composed Dutch ball control to keep the tempo of moves upm=, while in defence his intelligence shines through in one-on-on duels.

Statistically, he’s a dream.

Mazraoui is in the top 97th percentile or higher for *deep breath* non-penalty goals, npxG, shots on target, progressive passes, passes into the final third, shot creating actions, pressures, tackles won, blocks and tackles + interceptions. There are more but this is the bread and butter. An artisan loaf with freshly churned butter, that is.

Still only 23 years old, this season has been a stop-start one for him due to a nasty eye injury he sustained, which has limited him to just 16 Eredivisie starts this season. If you’re looking for flaws in his game, then his lack of electric pace is the standout. Boasting a mature defensive brain means he can limit this being exploited, but it is the primary issue.