Recent reports had suggested Arsenal were growing increasingly confident of signing Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma this summer.
However a major update from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano appears to have changed this thought process. Fabrizio was recently speaking on The United Stand YouTube channel. When quizzed on reported interest in Bissouma from Arsenal and Manchester United, he poured water on the transfer links.
‘He’s been linked to Arsenal yes, but I’m told he’s not the hottest name for Arsenal, you know. They are looking for something different.’ said Romano.
A concern Arsenal could have with Bissouma is his similarity in profile to Thomas Partey.
There is also the concern around the fact that Yves will be going to the African Cup of Nations in January and February of 2022, this will also be the case for Thomas. This could be problematic for Arsenal as they plan for an assault on the top four of the Premier League next season.
Despite this, Bissouma has some brilliant qualities that would really help the team. For Brighton he has racked up the most tackles and interceptions in the league this season and his short passing is also impressive.
Bissouma would perhaps be a replacement for Granit Xhaka, if the Swiss international were to leave.
So how do the two compare? Xhaka is slightly neater and more progressive in his passing, with 0.7 chances created per 90 vs. Bissouma’s 0.5. Granit’s 90% pass accuracy also edge Bissouma’s 87%. Bissouma really has the advantage in ground duels (5.5 per 90 vs. 3.4 per 90) and take ons completed (1.6 per 90 vs. 0.3). This illustrates the combative nature of the Mali international.