Thread by @ReidTheGame

Mohammed Kudus is the latest left-footed attacker to be linked with a move to Arsenal and the move a makes a lot of sense for Mikel Arteta’s side. Not just as a target but most specifically as a target for the right wing. Here’s why.

Of course, Kudus’ versatility make him a hugely appealing player. He can operate as a number eight, an attacking midfielder, a false 9 and on the right flank. But it is the latter that intrigues me most when you think about Arteta’s system last season and how his wingers operated

It is customary for the RW to be left footed due to the way Arteta instructs them to receive the ball. Simple yes but it is instrumental to how we play.They must have an open body when they receive the ball so that they can see everything in front of them, as well as to the side

His wingers need to receive the ball with an open stance whilst facing the opposition goal. This way they can run onto the ball, making it easier to progress instead of receiving with their back to goal, making it more straightforward for opposition fullbacks to defend

"The lines are here because I don't like creating lines between the wide players," Arteta said when explaining how he wants fullbacks and wingers to interact in an old video coaching Wales U16, who went on to win the Victory Shield, when he was doing his A Licence coaching badges

"Why? Because the full back passes to the wide player like this (straight down the line to feet). His back's to goal. He can't progress the play. There's always someone at his bum. He cannot play forward."

"When you do it like this, the angles you create, you're always receiving the ball like this (open stance facing the opposition goal)."

It may sound complicated but just take a few in-game examples and it's pretty simple. Here, White bides his time while in possession, waiting for Saka to make the movement inwards before playing a perfectly-weighted pass in the path of the winger, who scores.

Here, Martinelli is tasked with positioning himself in a similar way. Trossard holds the ball up, waiting for Martinelli's movement inside. Trossard then plays the ball inside the LW’s movement, making it easy for him to run onto the ball without losing control. The result?A goal

Plenty of Arsenal's goals under Arteta look like this, almost appearing like dances in a show that have been rehearsed beforehand.That's because they are.The Spaniard's attacking patterns are choreographed, with every player in a position for a reason, not just for the sake of it

In some ways, he borrows from mentor and current Man City boss Pep Guardiola when it comes to some attacking principles. “You start in a high position, and wide. After that you can do whatever you want", Thierry Henry said when describing life as a Guardiola winger.

But Guardiola himself refuses to take credit for much of the work Arteta did during his time as assistant coach at the Etihad, particularly how he improved Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane during his 3.5 years up north. “I can just say positive things about Mikel Arteta,” Sane said

“Since we started working together, he helped me a lot on the pitch", Sane continued. "He tried to improve my football, he told me what I did good and what I did wrong, and he tried to work on it."

The most productive season of Sane's career? 25 PL goals+assists in 2017/18. The most productive season of Sterling's? 29 PL goals+assists in 2017/18. No coincidence that Arteta was there that season

Now I'm not saying that Kudus would be signed to displace Saka. Of course, that isn't the plan. I'm merely explaining one of the many reasons Arteta is so keen for his right-wingers to be left-footed and vice versa on the left. It is a matter of angles.

But obviously being left-footed isn't the only criterion. To be effective for Arteta, you need the ability to beat your man 1v1 and sometimes even 2v1, be proficient in the half spaces and be intelligent with your movement inside and on the overlap.Kudus ticks most of these boxes

Kudus' take-on potential is huge. He isn't explosive in terms of pace but the way he drops his shoulder to feint movement is reminiscent to Mesut Özil. His 1v1s numbers back this up (of course Eredivisie context needs to be applied)

His ability in the half-spaces is also one of his greatest assets. Here, he can use his frame and elite close control to manipulate the ball, cut inside on his left foot and finish

His trademark finish is even similar to that of Saka. They punch through the ball when they strike it