Arsenal add Mattias Svanberg to midfield transfer list

Mattias Svanberg Fits the Recruitment Model at Arsenal

By now it is no secret that Arsenal have a plan in place when it comes to their recruitment. The desire for players in their early twenties with experience of playing in Europe, but who still have development potential in a new environment, is key.

At 22 years old Svanberg finds himself slap bang in the middle of that ballpark, and with just shy of 100 Serie A outings to his name he has had plenty of minutes in a top European division already.

He is also making inroads in the Swedish national team with nine caps to date, five coming in 2021, as the nation try to blood younger players into what was previously an ageing squad.

In terms of age and experience, he fits the bill.

For Sweden to plays in a two-man midfield in a 4-4-2, while for Bologna it is a 3-4-2-1 system where he most often operates on the right of that midfield pairing. Defensively alert, he isn’t someone to be heavily involved in build-up play, with all his passing numbers seeing him in the very low percentiles (10th or lower) with even his pass completion rates max out at 21st percentile.

Svanberg is surprisingly sound technically, however. He uses his body well and his frame acts as an interesting disguise to the occasional smart piece of footwork. What is surprising from the numbers is his shooting statistics: the lad likes a pop of goal, and produces a large amount of high xG shots.

His npxG+xA is a healthy 0.3 p/90, putting him up in the 93rd percentile, and his Goal Creating Actions p/90 of 2.24, including a 98th percentile rating for dribbles that lead to a shot, is quite impressive.

Watching the 22-year-old it becomes clear he’s someone who makes an impact at either third, with less involvement in central areas. His defensive and passing numbers do not make for good reading, but in Mihajlović’s wing-back system with two No. 10’s the emphasis is more on wide attacking with creation the half-spaces.

Due to his unfavourable statistics in areas Mikel Arteta may like, it would hint that the scouting department have seen his potential in a different team. Bologna also build up in a back three shape, and given the successes of the recruitment drive over the summer there is little reason to question their motives.

Yet, if we’re being picky, the one area of the pitch where the early twenties model might just be stretched is in midfield. Once (if) Granit Xhaka leaves, an established and elite central midfielder would be preferred, just to add some experience in such an integral part of the pitch. The need for someone to come in and hit the ground running would be ideal as there are ‘projects’ all across the squad and some seniority wouldn’t go amiss. Maybe just once, but, in Arsenal we trust, right?