Forget Eze, Arsenal Could Sign This £15m Winger Upgrade With Better Crossing, Assist And Dribbling Stats

Arsenal are looking to sign Crystal Palace attacker Eberechi Eze this summer, who has a release clause of £68m. 

The Gunners are keen to bring in a winger who can challenge Gabriel Martinelli on the left-hand side, but also provide extra creative flair in Mikel Arteta‘s attack. It will help them in their pursuit of their first Premier League title since 2003/04.

Eze was excellent last year for Palace, he managed to score 14 goals, and provide 11 assists for Oliver Glasner’s side in 43 matches. The 27-year-old is under contract at Palace until 2027, and it feels as though he may be leaving this summer.

The Gunners are the main front-runners to land the England international, and it has been reported that the attacker wants the move to the Emirates as he is a boyhood Arsenal fan. But a £68m is a steep one, and the Gunners could find a gem for much cheaper.

Arsenal could sign £15m gem instead of Eze

Eze would be a big investment for the Gunners, who don’t necessarily need to spend big on an attacker now that they already have the likes of Gyokeres, Martinelli, Madueke and Saka.

With that in mind, we decided to look at Data MB’s player comparison tool to find someone similar to Eze based on stats, that wouldn’t cost the Gunners even half as much as Eze would cost.

After analysing Eze’s stats, it suggested Rennes FC winger Ludovic Blas. He is a 27-year-old (like Eze), French winger who is comfortable playing both on the wing and in attacking midfield, also like the Crystal Palace star.

Blas has an estimated market value of just £15m, making him a considerably cheaper option to Eze. Plus his wage demands will likely be lower too. The comparison tool said that Blas’ stats were better than Eze in crossing, assists, ball carrying and dribbling.

Last season, the 27-year-old made a total of 31 appearances for Rennes, scoring six goals, and providing nine assists. The assist numbers were significantly better than Eze’s if you base them on an assists per game basis.

Click here to see Arsenal’s current first team squad ahead of the new season.