Snubbed at a spot in the England team, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been nothing short of spectacular for West Ham United this season.
Thomas Tuchel’s first 26-man England squad was announced on Friday, and while Bowen remained an England international, it was Wan-Bissaka who was harshly left out. Still seeking his first international cap, the wing back looked set on being picked given the contexts surrounding the right-back position - yet Tuchel had other ideas.
For us, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been somewhat of a revelation. Before joining, we thought of him as a solely defensive player – and maybe he can still be described as this.
I was partly confused at the signing initially, knowing that Julen Lopetegui enjoyed his wing backs high up the field, but he surprised and impressed me on his first start for the club against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup and he continued to do so since then.
He has changed the way many perceive him, I’m sure of that. Once thought of as a full back who can’t go forward, we now know he is a talent going forward and defending. His numbers tell it all regarding his attacking output.
Compared to other fullbacks, he sits in the 93rd percentile for successful take-ons per 90 and the 85th percentile for progressive carries per 90. Combine this with his elite defensive capabilities that we all have known he possesses, and he truly is a brilliant full back worthy of the call-up.
Tuchel opted for Kyle Walker, Reece James and Tino Livramento over our Hammer of the Year contender. To me, I see no reason why Wan-Bissaka couldn’t have been included over any one of the three.
Walker is aging, and this season we can really see it. He was loaned off to AC Milan in the January window partly due to his poor performances under Pep’s struggling Man City. While he has better passing metrics, his successful take-ons per 90 sit in the 37th percentile, and his defensive stats don’t even compare to Aaron’s.
Not only do his metrics not impress, but he hasn’t even played a large amount this season. 21 games but 14 starts, he has 1,000 fewer minutes that our player.
Reece James has played only 11 games this season and started eight. Aaron, on the other hand, has played 28 times. It feels harsh to choose an injury prone player who has struggled to play this season over the man in-form and more match sharp. Wan-Bissaka has played almost four times the amount of minutes Reece James has, so I think that says it all.
Even if you wanted to compare the per 90 metrics, Aaron still looks the better player, but this is a bit unreliable seeing as Reece James doesn’t play regular football. And sure, we can compare the two based off when James is fit – but for James to level Wan-Bissaka’s minutes this season you’d have to start from the 2022/23 season.
Tino Livramento is the closest to Aaron, yet still far off in my opinion. Wan-Bissaka has more than double his shot-creating actions per 90. He attempts almost double the amount of take-ons that Livramento does and has a higher success rate at doing do. Defensively, again, Aaron is the better player.
One thing Tino offers that you can argue Aaron doesn’t is the versatility to play on the left as well as the right. I would argue Aaron can play on the left, however. He did so on his first start versus Bournemouth, where he impressed us all.
Even if Tuchel didn’t want to drop any of those three players (like if he wants the use Walker as a centre back in a back three for example), he could have opted for three goalkeepers instead of four.
For me, I’d have kept James Trafford in and left Aaron Ramsdale out. There’s only one Aaron I want in the England squad, and it’s the player having a revolutionary season.
I think the general consensus is that Wan-Bissaka has been unfairly snubbed. I personally have seen comments from people wondering why Walker and James have been picked over him, for example, so this isn’t bias from the West Ham fanbase.
I’m not sure any expected Wan-Bissaka to be as good as he has been in the attacking wingback role, but he is a leading candidate for Hammer of the Year and our definite signing of the season for only £15m.
Despite the England snub, I expect him to be included in future squads as I’m sure he will continue to defy expectations and prove to Tuchel that he deserves a chance to become an England international.
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