Arsenal are said to be keen on a move for Lille winger Edon Zhegrova in a deal that could be worth just £11million. That's according to the Sunday Mirror, via HITC, who claim that the north London outfit could try and sign the Kosovo international this summer.
The Gunners are likely to have yet another busy summer transfer just 12 months after splashing over £140million, more than any other Premier League club spent. football.london understands that technical director Edu could look to sign two forwards, with a central midfielder also likely to be targeted.
Now, football.london takes a closer look at the aforementioned Zhegrova, analysing his play style and what he would bring to the Emirates Stadium if a move was to be completed in the coming months.
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Who is Edon Zhegrova?
Aged 23, Zhegrova is a talented young winger born in Herford, Germany.
He predominantly operates on the right flank, currently plying his trade with Ligue 1 outfit Lille, joining from Swiss giants Basel during the January transfer window.
What would he bring to Arsenal?
Zhegrova is known for his remarkable trickery and ability to beat players in one versus one situations. The German-born wideman has never boasted particularly efficient goalscoring numbers, finding the back of the net just 11 times across the past two seasons.
However, his dribbling ability has seen him branded as the 'Lionel Messi of the Balkans' - a huge claim that is somewhat backed up when analysing his numbers when the ball is at his feet. He has registered a whopping 5.94 shot-creating actions and 6.36 dribbles per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 this term.
Comparatively, no Arsenal player has averaged more than 4.47 shot-creating actions per 90 this season whilst Nicolas Pepe's 4.79 dribbles per 90 is the highest any member of Mikel Arteta's squad has managed in the 2021/22 campaign. Still, it must be said that Zhegrova has only played 197 minutes in the French top-flight since the winter window, making his sample size extremely small.
What has been said?
Zhegrova became an internet sensation as a teenager when clips of his skills went viral on YouTube and he was branded 'the Messi of the Balkans' by many. Lille President Olivier Letang has also made it no secret of his admiration for the 23-year-old.
"He has an interesting profile which is why Edon had a number of propositions," Letang said earlier this year. "He has fantastic qualities, and an ability to cause problems for any defence.
"We are delighted that he has joined Lille."
