[THREAD]

Recently Arsenal have been linked with Willian Borges. In this thread I will explore why signing him for the short term would be good business & what he would bring to the side.

Likes & RTs appreciated.

(1/n)

At 31 years of age Willian has played 48 games for Chelsea in the 2019/20 season scoring 11 goals and getting 8 assists, out of which 16 (9G + 7A) contributions have come in the PL.

His contract ends after the completion of the 19/20 season, & he will be a free agent.

(2/n)

A big problem for Arsenal this season has been creativity in the final third. Of the top chance creators in the PL, Willian ranks number 6 with 76 chances created. (3/n)

However, if we look at P90 averages he creates 2.69 chances P90, which is very similar to James Maddison (2.71) & slightly behind Riyad Mahrez (2.84).
(4/n)

With Mesut Ozil left out of the Arsenal lineup, Pepe is the sole creator in the team at the moment. Here’s how Willian stacks up with the rest of the Arsenal team.

Player - Chances per 90

Willian – 2.7
Ozil - 2.6
Pepe - 1.7
Ceballos - 1.5
Saka - 1.3
Aubameyang - 0.8

(5/n)

Now of course chances created is not an indicator of the quality of chances so here is a look at his Key Passes per90.

Compared With Pepe vs With Ozil (Data is for the last 2 full seasons). (6/n)

Another aspect of his game is his directness while carrying the ball at his feet & ability to be highly effective in the 2nd phase of buildup.

His progressive distance carried p90 is exceptional when compared to the top player at CFC, Kovacic. (7/n)

In addition to that he is a very secure dribbler completing 72.1% of his attempted dribbles in the league this season. Nimble with the ball at this feet he get's into the box often & creates opportunities for others. (8/n)

On top of that he is a shot creating machine, & excels in nearly every metric Arsenal lack in going forward. (9/n)

Graphic Courtesy the amazing @DomC0801

Another reason why coaches love him, apart from his tactical flexibility is his work rate & willingness to work for the team defensively. (10/n)

Here are some stats taken from FBRef;

Played usually down the RW, he is equally flexible with playing down the LW if required. His main characteristics are;

1. Driving into the opposition box to create opportunities.
2. Attracting defenders with his dribbling to create space.

(11/n)

Closing Thoughts;

1. There is a reason he has been a mainstay at Chelsea under several different managers, & why they are still pushing to extend his contract. He is a coach's dream player in the way he conducts himself on the pitch.

(12/n)

2. Signing Willian would address 3 problems; Depth, Experience & competition for Pepe & Nelson, w/o hampering the overall rebuild process.

3. Given that Arsenal are unlikely to fill every position in one summer, this deal would represent a good short term fix.

(13/n)

4. He is of course at an awkward age but if looked at objectively, given the numbers he's put up, giving him a 2 year + 1 year optional deal shouldn't be scoffed at.

(14/n)

[END OF THREAD]

P.S: Please look at the data shown & stats provided with context with how minutes played differ between players, their adaptation to the league etc.

Since this is doing well consider following for more such content & other tactical analysis on this page.