Arsenal scout “excellent” £17m phenom who’d be a dream Trossard upgrade

In the grand scheme of things, Arsenal have enjoyed a rapid rise back up the footballing ladder in recent years.

Mikel Arteta has taken the North Londoners from mid-table mediocrity to genuine challengers in the Premier League and Champions League.

However, this season has felt like something of a step back, and following their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the League Cup during the week, it looks like they could end the campaign without a trophy yet again.

There were disappointing performances across the pitch on Wednesday, including from Leandro Trossard, who received a more than justified 5/10 match rating from the Standard’s Simon Collings.

The Belgian has been underwhelming for the whole campaign this season, so recent reports linking the club with an exciting winger who could replace him should not be a massive surprise.

Arsenal chase Trossard replacement

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are one of several teams very interested in Deportivo La Coruña’s star winger, Yeremay Hernandez.

Alongside the Gunners, the report claims that fellow Premier League sides Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle United are all keen on the young Spaniard and already have scouts watching him closely.

While the level of competition could prove a barrier to signing him, his price probably won’t, as another report out of Spain earlier this week revealed that the Galician outfit have set a €20m release clause in his contract, which converts to about £17m.

It could be a difficult transfer to get over the line, but given Hernandez’s performances this season, the potential some believe him to have, and Arsenal’s dire need for attacking reinforcements, it’s worth pursuing, even if it could spell trouble for Trossard.

How Hernandez compares to Trossard

So, it’s no secret that after his brilliant return of 17 goals and two assists in 46 appearances last season, Trossard has been seriously disappointing this year.

As things stand, the Belgian international has scored just four goals and provided three assists in 28 games, meaning he went from averaging a goal involvement every 2.42 games last year to averaging one every four games this year.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion ace cannot blame dwindling output on lousy luck either, as his underlying numbers have also significantly worsened.

For example, according to FBref, he was in the top 3% of attacking midfielders or wingers for non-penalty expected goals in the Premier League last season, whereas this year, he sits in the top 36% for the same metric.

In short, the 30-year-old international appears to be rapidly losing his edge, which is where the exciting Hernandez could come in.

Now, the 22-year-old has not experienced top-flight football before, so there is an element of risk in signing him, but he has been electric this season.

For example, in just 17 appearances, the “excellent” prospect, as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored seven goals and provided three assists, which works out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.70 games.

Moreover, his underlying numbers are utterly phenomenal.

According to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of midfielders in the next best 14 competitions for actual and expected non-penalty goals, total shots, progressive carries, successful take-ons, touches in the opposition’s penalty area and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, Trossard’s days of being a compelling option on the wing for Arsenal look numbered, and while there is an element of risk in signing Hernandez, his raw output and underlying numbers are so good it’s a risk worth taking.