Arsenal: 7 rumoured transfer targets in January window

2. Mattias Svanberg – Bologna

Could Bologna become the new Lille for Arsenal? Probably not, although there have been whispers of interest in another player in the Italian side’s ranks for a few months now.

Mattias Svanberg is someone whose name has been mentioned in the same breath as Arsenal a few times, although this window has predominantly seen him linked with Manchester City, Inter and Tottenham.

The Swedish international is not one to endear onlookers who are quite reliant on statistics, with his passing numbers over the past year desperately low: his pass completion rate is 75.5% (7th percentile) coming for a side that averages 51.2% in Serie A. But context in terms of team and style is needed.

Surprisingly technical, he uses his body well and possesses a fine shot, with his attacking numbers, despite being majorly a defensive-minded midfielder, very alluring. A 92nd percentile npxG and 80th percentile xA aren’t too shabby.

While there were a fair few links building up to January, they seem to have gone cold for now. However, it was the same with Tomiyasu before the end of the window opened up.

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