The season may have just come to a rather disappointing end, but there is no rest for the wicked at Arsenal.
While the fans and players can take their minds off another trophyless season over the next few months, Mikel Arteta, Andrea Berta and the board have plenty of work to do in the transfer window.
For example, Premier League rivals Liverpool already look set to sign Jeremie Frimpong and the simply incredible Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.
Wirtz-Leverkusen
Fortunately, recent reports have now linked the Gunners with another Bundesliga star who's actually won comparisons to the outrageously talented and potentially game-changing German.
Arsenal's Bundesliga targets
Before getting to the star in question, it's worth looking at some of the Bundesliga-based players who have been linked with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks and months, like Benjamin Sesko and Nick Woltemade.
The former has been a long-term target for the Gunners, and it's not hard to understand why they might still want him after he racked up a tally of 21 goals and six assists in 45 games this season, although, with a new reported price tag of up to £93m, he could be too expensive.
VfB Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade in action with Bayern Munich's Joao Palhinha and Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae
Woltemade, on the other hand, is reportedly available for around £42m, and he's also enjoyed an excellent campaign this year, scoring 17 goals and providing three assists in 33 games for VfB Stuttgart, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.65 games.
Yet, there is another established star from Germany who'd still be an even cheaper signing: Leroy Sané.
Yes, according to a recent report from the Times' Gary Jacob, Arsenal have a 'strong interest' in the Bayern Munich star ahead of the summer window.
While he might not necessarily be a player at the top of most fans' wishlists, he would represent a genuine market opportunity, as, thanks to his £243k-per-week contract coming to an end next month, he'd be available for free.
leroy-sane-bayern-munich-bundesliga
While the German international has been described as "the best in the world playing out wide," by Pep Guardiola, he has also won comparisons to Wirtz, so this may be a deal worth pursuing for Arsenal.
How Sané compares to Wirtz
So before we get into some of the other reasons why Arsenal would want to sign Sané this summer, it's worth examining this comparison to Wirtz and where it has come from.
Leroy Sane for Bayern Munich
Well, in this instance, it stems from FBref, which compared players in similar positions in the Bundesliga this season and came to the conclusion that the Bayer Leverkusen star was the fourth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Bayern ace in the competition.
The best way to understand how this conclusion was reached is by looking at some of the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, such as goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots on target and goals per shot, expected assists, crosses into the penalty area, tackles and tackles won, carries into the penalty area and more, all per 90.
Sané & Wirtz
Statistic per 90
Goals + Assists
Progressive Carries
Shots on Target
Goals per Shot
Expected Assists
Crosses into the Penalty Area
Tackles
Tackles Won
Interceptions
Carries into the Penalty Area
Ball Recoveries
Aerial Duels Won
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 Bundesliga Season
On top of the undeniable and quite significant statistical similarities between the two, they are both title winners in Germany, both members of the German national team and can play in multiple positions - which could be key for Arteta.
Moreover, while being compared to one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents around is already encouraging enough, the former Manchester City dynamo - who won two Premier League titles with the club - is still a reliable source of goals and assists.
For example, last season, in just 3224 minutes across 42 appearances, he scored ten goals and provided 13 assists, equating to an average goal involvement every 1.82 games or every 140.17 minutes.
Then this season, the Essen-born "superstar," as dubbed by football scout Antonio Mango, scored 13 goals and provided six assists in just 2377 minutes across 45 appearances, which is an average of a goal involvement every 2.36 games, or more crucially, every 125.10 minutes.
Sané's recent form
Season
Appearances
Minutes
Goals
Assists
Goal Involvements per Match
Minutes per Goal Involvement
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Ultimately, while Sané might not sound like the most exciting signing, he's proved himself to still be an incredibly effective winger who can play on either side, and his comparison to Wirtz is just a bonus.
Therefore, Arsenal should do what they can to convince him to come to the Emirates this summer, as he could be a real difference-maker.
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