Arsenal should target John McGinn summer transfer

With the summer transfer window finally open, the rumour mill is churning in full effect once again. Arsenal are said to be on the search for numerous additions to their squad, with central midfield a key focus.

Names of supposed targets are flying around social media platforms with the likes of Ruben Neves, Yves Bissouma and Albert Sambi Lokonga forming the subject of much conversation among the Arsenal faithful.

Neves is someone the Gunners have been tracking on a potential £35m deal, the talk of Bissouma currently seems mostly fan-driven, while Lokonga continues to be linked with a north London switch and a transfer grows increasingly more plausible.

Nonetheless, one man who Arsenal are yet to be linked with this summer is Aston Villa’s John McGinn, and it’s difficult to understand why.

Arsenal should target Aston Villa’s John McGinn this summer transfer window as a different profile to Granit Xhaka who can partner Thomas Partey

With Granit Xhaka’s move to AS Roma on the brink of completion, it has been questioned whether Mikel Arteta would want to replace the Swiss with a like-for-like player profile, or, perhaps, move in a different direction. A move for McGinn would certainly be representative of a move in a different direction.

The Scottish international who looks set to play a crucial role for his national side at the upcoming European Championships possesses a profile which deeply contrasts Xhaka’s. McGinn is a nightmare to play against. He never stops running, he’s a strong carrier of the ball and he’s not afraid to break into his opposition’s penalty area.

Xhaka, on the other hand, is infamously immobile, prefers to progress the ball via a pass rather than a dribble and often looks like something of a lost sheep in the 18-yard-box. Nonetheless, McGinn and Xhaka do share two key things in common – the position they played for the majority of the 20/21 season, and their left-footedness.

Both players spent a fair chunk of their campaign operating on the left side of a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1. Granted, they played in such roles very differently, but maybe different is exactly what Arsenal need to go up a level. The ferocity of McGinn’s game would indeed add some much needed dynamism to an Arsenal midfield which often felt very stale during the 2020/21 campaign. Let’s take a statistical look.

Continued…

John McGinn Statistical Analysis for Arsenal

As per FBref.com, McGinn’s defensive output was nothing to write home about last season, averaging just 1.89 tackles, 1.12 interceptions and 1.03 blocks/90. While these statistics aren’t completely dissimilar to Xhaka’s, they are indeed significantly worse than those of other reported targets Yves Bissouma and Ruben Neves.

This may detract some fans, understandably, but it’s important that when Arsenal choose their preferred engine room targets for next season, they also remember that they did sign a world-class defensive midfielder in Thomas Partey a year ago. Playing alongside someone of Partey’s quality, McGinn could be unleashed, adding goals to a midfield of which Arteta desperately needs more contribution from.

Considering McGinn did play within a double pivot for a lot of the previous Premier League campaign, his offensive contribution to Villa was contextually impressive. His 2.67 shot-creating actions per/90 stood out as a particularly striking number on his stats sheet considering the deep role in which he operated in for Dean Smith’s side. Arsenal’s creative issues early in the 2020/21 season didn’t vanish in the second half of the campaign, so adding further creative touch to his side should be a priority for Arteta this summer.

McGinn’s versatility within midfield is a further attractive trait within his game. The Scot can operate in numerous different systems across numerous roles which could be helpful for an evolving Arsenal side. Not only can he perform as a #6 or a #10 in a 4-2-3-1, but also as an #8 in a 4-3-3, arguably where the 26-year-old is at his best.

Arteta has stated on numerous occasions that he foresees his side Arsenal team shifting to a 4-3-3 at some point in the future, so McGinn would be a useful addition in that regard. Until the evolution occurs, the midfielder can contribute within a 4-2-3-1, and thereafter he is a shoo-in fit for the left-sided central midfield role within a flat three.

Thus, while McGinn is by no means a profile replacement for Xhaka, that shouldn’t stop him from being a player Arsenal keep tabs on this summer. Under a long-term contract at Villa, the midfielder would doubtlessly come at some cost, but he’d add some useful variety to the Arsenal engine room, something neither Xhaka nor Dani Ceballos did last season.

McGinn may not be the flashy name Arsenal fans are looking for their club to add to their squad, but he may well be the right name from the perspective of this summer’s rebuild in north London. As a player who always plays the game with his heart on his sleeve, similarly to his compatriot Kieran Tierney, McGinn would be a welcome addition.