Thread by @adamvoge

Recent reports put a striker and a midfielder at the top of Arsenal's to-do list as the club plots its return path to European football. With specifically a defensive-oriented midfielder rumoured to be the priority, here's my watchlist for the 21-22 season (1/x)...

Same disclaimer as always in mind, I set out to find midfielders who fit a few criteria:
-They're young. Pre-prime as a general definition, with 25 generally my upper boundary. Lower leagues had lower age limits.
-They're not promised or strongly linked to another huge club.

-They're effective at pressing, tackling, ground duels and show at least decent distribution. As always, a radar chart will capture what a player does/has done at a high level; it's not meant to indicate what a player absolutely cannot do.

I ended up with around 50 CMs on my list, and I'll follow them throughout the season. Here are some highlights from my initial dive, based on last year's performance! Updates will come throughout the season, with rankings fluid.

Before I start, here's what Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka look like on a chart together. For purposes of this thread I'll chart next to Partey, focusing more on replacing/upgrading Xhaka with more of a defensive force (look at that bottom-left quadrant).

Here we go! Let's start with a couple Arsenal loanees. Keeping in mind his VERY limited playing time, Lucas Torreira had a tough year at Atleti. Whether Fiorentina want him long-term or not, I'm pulling for him to have a good season.

Here's Arsenal's other loanee, Matteo Guendouzi, from his year at Hertha. Matteo's performance there earned him around a middle-of-the-road grade on my scale. He's playing for a much different team this year, and in a much different role (almost an AM?). I'll watch him.

Sometimes I support players even when their stats aren't great, and Xaver Schlager (23) is one of those. Why? I don't know! He looks like a movie villain, but he's an Arsenal fan and works his tail off. He had a good Euros, and we get to watch him the UCL. I'll keep watching.

Another favorite of mine: Lucas Paqueta (24). The former Milan prodigy is probably better in a role where he's an attacker first with defensive skills, rather than as a defense-first CM. For those reasons, he came in lower on my list, but I still love him and include him here.

Maxence Caqueret (21) is Paqueta's teammate and part of my "buy Lyon's midfield" plan. He was a little lower on this list due to subpar performance against dribblers and a lower pressure success rate, but he's a lot of fun and definitely feels like one with a bright future.

You'll often catch me blathering on about a Monaco CM, but the other guy is looking promising, too. Youssouf Fofana (22) started almost all of last season for Monaco, as they qualified for the CL. He's a very good presser, but needs to win more duels and tackle dribblers better.

He didn't top the charts or anything, but I just had to share Florian Neuhaus (24). Passing, ball security, carrying, from Gladbach...remind you of anyone? Like that person, big problems defensively, so I wouldn't consider him an option.

Speaking of Gladbach, Denis Zakaria (24) has been linked with Arsenal a few times. He's great at defending dribblers, wins a good chunk of his duels. Good dribbler, good passing. Not much pressing to speak of. I'd love to see him stay healthy and fit for a full season.

Arsenal should have kicked the tires on Fulham's Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (25). Solid in duels, good on the tackle. He didn't successfully press a lot last season, nor are his passing stats off the charts, but he could have been cheap. He's at Napoli now; too late?

No surprise to see Franck Kessie (24) high. He was very good for Milan, particularly at tackling dribblers. He hasn't pressed a lot, but his ability to win duels and progress the ball are good. He's in the CL with Milan, so it's a huge ? if Arsenal would even have a chance.

Arsenal were linked to Ruben Neves (24) in early summer, and I saw a comment that he's not even as good as Xhaka. Depending on what you want, he's a very suitable replacement. He's a great progressive passer who plays better defense than Xhaka. Wouldn't mind him, tho he'd be ££.

Reims' Moreto Cassama (23) popped off the chart. His numbers playing long balls and winning ground duels were among the best on the list. At 165 cm, you wonder whether he's too small for the Prem. Off to a great start, including a brace in MW1 and a solid performance against PSG.

Moving nearer the top, Nicolas Dominguez (23) didn't start full-time for Bologna, but he was creative when he did. He tackled at a good clip and pressed a lot, with a lower success %. Solid in duels. I always like to see a full year as a starter, but maybe a name to remember.

Mahdi Camara (23) had a good year at Saint Etienne. The former Saliba teammate is entering his third year as an every-game starter. Last year, he was extremely successful tackling and winning duels, both on the ground and in the air. Could be better progressing the ball. Lean.

RANDOM SHOUT: Yves Bissouma (25). His defensive stats wrap around Thomas Partey like a warm blanket. He'd obviously be more expensive, but he's more experienced than most on this list, and he's Prem proven. He's played different roles at Lille and Brighton. £, of course.

I've been on the Cheick Doucoure (21) hype train a few months now. We'll talk about him next summer the way we talk about Aurelien Tchouameni now. He helped Lens win promotion in his second year as a FT starter, then they came 7th in L1. Feels like a jump to a big club is coming.

I'd probably pick Lucas Tousart (24) as the biggest surprise of this thread. Now in his sixth season as a full-time starter despite his age. Formerly OL. My scale heavily weighted duels, pressing and stopping dribblers, so here's a guy who does that! Can he progress the ball?

Now into my top three. I don't know what else to say about my son, Aurelien Tchouameni (21). He's a ball-winning monster and he's got so much more to offer. Debuted for the French national team and was great. Chelsea reportedly were interested; he's going somewhere big.

A lot of people I respect really like Boubacar Kamara (21). He plays like 17 different positions. Marseille are reportedly trying to get him to extend his contract, which is up this summer, but he's unsure. Extension or not, he can play and will go somewhere bigger soon.

Part of me hoped I would be more original, but Bruno Guimaraes' name is out there for a reason. He's number one with a bullet based on last season. Where can he improve? Getting beaten less on the dribble, I guess. But he pressures the ball often and well, and can create. 👀

ADDENDUM! I don't have the same depth of data on the lower leagues, but I did neglect to mention a couple of Eredivisie players I'm tracking: Ryan Gravenberch (19) has some rough edges to develop, namely tackling and ball control. Very strong in the air. One to watch.

And my sneaky favorite in the lower leagues: Ibrahim Sangare (23). At PSV right now, having joined form Toulouse in summer 2020. Had a huge year statistically. It's Holland, but Sangare's tackling and duel numbers are dominant, and he's shown the ability to play as a sort of DLP.

And a reminder, if you're enjoying these threads, feel free to make a request and buy me a beer here!
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After publishing I was asked a good question about where Sambi would rank. Let's say hypothetically we didn't sign him, here's the chart you'd see. Ironically he's dragged down by his tackling (he has a ton of tackles already this year). He was 2nd among lower league options.