Good news, Arsenal fans, the season is finally over.
The last nine months have been particularly draining for the North Londoners, as, for the third year running, Mikel Arteta's side have had to settle for second place in the Premier League, only this time to Liverpool.
However, with the transfer window about to open, fans can forget all about that and start dreaming about the stars who could soon be making their way to the red side of North London.
Jorginho-Odegaard-Arsenal
With that said, the Merseysiders also seem determined to strengthen their already imposing squad in the coming weeks and months, with Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz seemingly close to joining them.
The German would be an incredible signing for the Reds, but interestingly, one of Arteta's signings is worth millions more than him.
Why Wirtz will be a serious problem for Arsenal
Arsenal's one advantage over Liverpool this season has been their defence, as across the 38 games, they conceded just 34 goals to the Reds' 41.
florian-wirtz-bayer-leverkusen-atletico
However, the champions' attacking advantage was even greater, with a sensational 86 goals scored to the Gunners' 69, and with Wirtz in the side, that difference could grow even greater.
For example, even though he's only just turned 22, the German monster was able to score 16 goals and provide 15 assists in 45 games for Leverkusen this season, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.45 games.
In contrast, Martin Odegaard, the North Londoner's chief creator, scored six goals and provided 12 assists in 45 games, which comes out to a far less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.5 games.
Unfortunately for the Premier League runners-up, this comparison remains in the future Liverpool star's favour even when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.
Odegaard vs Wirtz
Statistic
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
Non-Penalty G+As
Progressive Passes
Progressive Carries
Shots
Shots on Target
Passing Accuracy
Key Passes
Shot-Creating Actions
Goal-Creating Actions
Successful Take-Ons
Carries into the Penalty Area
Ball Recoveries
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 Season
For example, while the Norwegian does come out ahead in some metrics, the Bundesliga winner comes out on top in more, such as expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, key passes, shot and goal-creating actions, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.
In short, Wirtz looks like he could become one of the very best creators in the league next season and, therefore, is likely going to be well worth the reported €100m - £84m - Liverpool has already offered for him.
Yet, there is already an Arteta signing in the Arsenal squad that is worth more than that.
The Arsenal star worth millions more than Wirtz
So, while there are a few genuine superstars in this Arsenal squad, like Williams Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, the player we are talking about is a fellow graduate from Bayer Leverkusen's academy: Kai Havertz.
Kai-Havertz-Arsenal
Yes, before he moved to Chelsea in the summer of 2020, the Aachen-born star was the talk of German football, and for good reason.
In his final season with Leverkusen, he managed to rack up an incredible haul of 18 goals and nine assists in 45 appearances, which came out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.66 games - not much worse than Wirtz's average of one every 1.45 games this term.
Havertz vs Wirtz (Final Bayer Season)
Player
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Goal Involvements per Match
All Stats via Transfermarkt
While we know things did not work out for him following his £71m move to West London, things have dramatically improved for the German since his £65m move to the Emirates in 2023.
While he struggled in his initial midfield role and hasn't really looked comfortable there since, he has turned into a more than useful striker for the club.
For example, in just 47 appearances up top, the "sensational" 25-year-old, as dubbed by Arteta, has scored 19 goals and provided 13 assists, which comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.46 games.
This impact, combined with his age, profile and contract situation, saw the CIES Football Observatory value the number 29 at a staggering €130m earlier this year, which comes out to about £109m, or £25m more than Wirtz could cost Liverpool.
arsenal-havertz-champions-league
Ultimately, while some may disagree with such a valuation, Havertz has been an incredibly useful player for Arsenal over the years, and just like the soon-to-be Red star, he also enjoyed a brilliant start to his career at Leverkusen.
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The divisive international could be more trouble than he's worth for Arsenal.