According to David Ornstein, Everton have agreed a deal with Arsenal over the transfer of Alex Iwobi. The Toffees are willing to fork out around £35-40 million for the services of the Nigerian winger, who has been identified as the ideal alternative for Wilfried Zaha. In this article, we will discuss why Arsenal could emerge as the clear victors in this deal.
Iwobi is consistently inconsistent
One of the reasons why Iwobi is not as highly rated by a bunch of Arsenal fans is the lack of consistency in his game. Although the 23-year-old is undoubtedly a talented individual, he has never been able to put together a string of good performances in back to back matches.
Naturally, Iwobi is an explosive winger, who loves to take on defenders in the final third – much like Zaha. The Arsenal star attempted 2.4 dribbles per game, out of which, he has attained a success rate of 54%. It makes him an average dribbler, at best, as far as accuracy is concerned.
Most importantly, the Nigerian international has made two unsuccessful touches and has been dispossessed 1.6 times per game last season. And this is indicative of his clumsy nature whenever he receives the ball, which certainly doesn’t bode well for Marco Silva.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
The winger won’t be missed
Arsenal made one of the biggest transfer coups of the summer when they announced the arrival of Nicolas Pepe from LOSC Lille. The Ivorian is among the hottest players playing in Europe at the moment and should address the club’s problem of having a lack of natural wingers in the team.
Aside from Pepe, Arsenal boast the services of two young guns in Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe. Nelson, in particular, is coming on the back of a promising loan spell in the Bundesliga with TSG Hoffenheim. The Englishman was involved in eight goals in 23 matches and is tipped to make an impact on the Arsenal first-team in this new season. Besides, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is also an option on the wings.
Therefore, it’s unlikely Arsenal will miss the presence of Iwobi, should he join Everton this summer due to the presence of so many viable options in the wider attacking positions.
It will reinstate financial stability at the club
Arsenal have taken considerable risks in the transfer market this summer, notably pulling through a move for Pepe and Kieran Tierney while the David Luiz deal is also close to completion. So essentially, the financial situation at the club is likely to be a little chaotic at the moment.
However, the £35-40 million departure of Iwobi should reinstate that financial stability at Arsenal, allowing them a bit more freedom as far as managing the wage structure is concerned. Besides, it likely won’t force them to sell Mesut Ozil anymore, which could be good news as the German is still a vital part of the Gunners attack.
