Rodrygo has been linked with a move to Arsenal but claims about his left wing improvement are not adding up
Rodrygo has been linked with a move to Arsenal but claims about his left wing improvement are not adding up
Arsenal are . They have also agreed on a fee with Sporting CP for the transfer of Viktor Gyokeres with the finer details being discussed as the club’s attempt to complete the deal in it's entirety.
football.london understands the club want to add at least one more attacking player during this summer window.
At this time, Eze appears the far more likely candidate with discussions having taken place with the player’s representatives. Eze has a £67.5million release clause and football.london understands Crystal Palace expect the clause to be activated in order to sell their talisman, although there is some hope in north London that stance could soften.
Eze has drawn interest from other clubs, though, which would make Palace’s stance more resolute on the release clause. Many question whether Rodrygo would be the smarter choice.
A natural winger at Real Madrid, he has fallen out of favour under Xabi Alonso, who has looked to utilise others in his place. Now reports in Spain suggest he could leave with a hefty price tag attached to him.
There is, however, something of a misconception surrounding Rodrygo in the form of his potential when moving back to what is seen as his natural left side. With the presence of Vinicius Jr, he has predominantly played on the right-hand side for Los Blancos.
We have a good sample size of his career numbers so far on both flanks. According to , he has played 78 times on the left and 146 times on the right throughout his career. He has also featured through the middle on 84 occasions, but for the benefit of the comparison on either flank, let us focus on these figures.
In the 146 right-wing appearances, Rodrygo has notched 34 goals and added 31 assists. This works out at a goal contribution rate of 0.45 per 90, effectively just under a goal or an assist per match.
In his 78 appearances on the left, Rodrygo has scored 23 goals and notched 16 assists. This sees a goal contribution per 90 rate of 0.5, an increase but of only 0.05 per 90.
Bearing in mind this is playing for Real Madrid, in a league where the Spanish club dominate the majority of opposition sides, with respect to them. Moving to Arsenal and to the left wing shows no indication of a guarantee of a serious upturn, highlighting this frequently spoken misconception.
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