Xavi Simons is quite the player and for Arsenal to have reported interest in the Dutch star should raise eyebrows. The Gunners are indeed interested in signing an attacking midfielder this summer football.london understands and with Mason Mount currently looking far more likely to make a switch to Manchester United, Simons would be a fantastic alternative.
Arsenal do have a number of attacking midfielders already with Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira all to choose from, but Simons offers great versatility. The 20-year-old was used in multiple areas last season from the wing to attacking midfield and even as the most advanced central player.
Mikel Arteta as we know is a huge fan of players who can offer him options in multiple positions which is exactly what Simons is all about. Interestingly he might be able to give Bukayo Saka some of the rotation that the England international has been crying out for.
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However, he has most successfully performed in the attacking midfield role where he scored 11 goals in 17 games according to Transfermarkt. With that in mind, seeing how he compares to Odegaard and a couple of the Gunners’ transfer targets can hopefully provide some insight into how he’s performing.
Up against the Norwegian, Mason Mount and James Maddison, it is important to initially address the context of the comparison. Simons playing in a dominant PSV side compared to a Chelsea side in disarray and a now-relegated Leicester will of course have an effect on the stats.
With that said, looking at some of the more individual aspects of the players to get a view can help supersede some of those restrictions. Simons’ take-on success (49.7%) is better than both Mount (48.4%) and Maddison (43%) according to FBRef.
The Dutchman is certainly a gifted footballer when on the ball. In terms of progressive distance covered per 90, Simons manages 143 yards while controlling the ball; nearly double that of Mount’s 78.1 yards and significantly more than Odegaard’s 87 yards and Maddison’s 96.8 yards.
He uses the ball to progress the side into dangerous areas too. His 3.57 carries into the final third per 90 are double that of Maddison (1.59) and Odegaard (1.73); whilst being far higher still than Mount’s (1.86).
His importance to PSV is huge as represented by the expected goals of his side when on the pitch at 2.38. Arsenal’s is 1.93 with Odegaard in play, Leicester's is 1.38 with Maddison on the field and Chelsea’s just 1.22 when playing Maddison – although it is worth noting specifically the difficulties as mentioned of Chelsea and Leicester in the previous campaign.
There is hope that if Arsenal secures a more advanced midfield option like Simons that they could perform in place of the expected-to-depart Granit Xhaka in the left-eight role. To do this the player would need some defensive capabilities too.
When it comes to the percentage of dribblers tackled per 90 Simons comes out again on top of his peers at 52.6% Better than Mount (51.9%) Maddison (38%) and Odegaard (29.8%). Whilst Maddison has more blocks per 90 than Simons (1.31 > 1.19) he does best Maddison (0.69) and Odegaard (0.58).
He’s also beating the Norwegian when it comes to interceptions per 90 (0.35 > 0.17), clearances per 90 (0.39 > 0.35) and Simons has not contributed any errors leading to goals, unlike Odegaard and Maddison who have one each.
Passing is where Simons loses out to the Arsenal captain. Passes into the final third per 90: 2.62 > 1.86 in favour of Odegaard, passes into the final third per 90: 4.24 > 2.32 again in favour of Odegaard and progressive passes per 90: 7.67 > 4.82 again leaning the Gunners’ man’s way.
Yet Simons’ numbers are still good here and it’s evident that stylistically he offers more on-the-ball traits. It could be that they both would combine well together and again it would be great to see the rotation of the wide players with someone like Simons.
He will cost a serious fee, but based on the evidence it would be a worthwhile investment. We’ll have to see if Arsenal act on it.
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