Arsenal are continuing to be linked with Valencia full-back Jose Gaya. With a summer move seemingly in the offing, we decided to look at how he compares to Arsenal’s current left-back.
We recently looked at 3 things you need to know about Arsenal target Jose Gaya. Now we wanted to see how the Spaniard compares to the current first choice Arsenal left back, Nacho Monreal.
Gaya comes out on top of the Gunners man Monreal by winning 2.24 tackles per 90 minutes with the latter managing 1.26 thus far this season.
The 21-year-old also impresses with successful take ons, having the burst of pace and ability to get past their man in a defensive transition is key, and the Valencia man again comes out on top ahead of the Arsenal star by completing 59.09% with Monreal just behind on 58.33%.
The Premier League, as many people know, it is the toughest / most physical league in the world and as a defender you must be cut out to win aerial duels against the opponent, and again Gaya comes out on top, standing at 5 ft 7, managing to win 54.55% of his aerial duels with Monreal managing just 40%. You could argue La Liga is far less physical in that aspect but the stat itself is still very impressive.
Monreal does top his Spanish compatriot in terms of pass completion (83%) which is just ahead of the Valencia full-back (75%).
But, being efficient in possession is even more key for Arsenal with Gaya again impressing with key passes, accomplishing 0.85 per 90 minutes which is far better than Monreal, 0.38.
Gaya has a similar amount of pace to Bellerin and that will certainly help the team out both offensively and defensively. With Arsenal’s defence now faster than ever, the team can afford to play with a higher defensive line, allowing for them to put sustained pressure on the opposition. The thought of Gaya and Bellerin as our young, ambitious and quick full backs for the foreseeable future excites me – make it happen, Arsene.