I used data to find Arsenal a replacement for Bellerin. A thread.

First of all, what's the issue?

Bellerin, although in my opinion a player who's slightly underrated, probably isn't good enough to match Arsenal's long-term aspirations post-ACL.

In attack he's probably right around average, and on the other end of the pitch, he's worse.

Although this isn't a priority position for Arsenal in the summer, using the spare funds the club may have after purchasing big forwards to pay for a new RB definitely seems beneficial.

So,

CRITERIA:

. U28 - Must be pre/in his prime

. Cheap - RB isn't a priority position, the money spent should reflect that

. Technical quality - We're looking to impose ourselves, he must be good on the ball

. Defence - Has to be Average at worst on defence

TARGETS:

With the help of FbREF, I filtered out a shortlist of players who excelled in stats based on the criteria. I mostly looked at:

Progressive passes per game
Passes/Crosses/Carries into the box per game
Tackle success %
Shot-creating actions per game (open play)

SHORTLIST:

The following 4 players made it through:

- Leo Dubois
- Giovanni Di Lorenzo
- Junior Sambia
- Fabien Centonze***

Honourable mentions:

Achraf Hakimi: Will cost ≈£40M
Hamari Traore: Is too old
Zeki Celik: Just missed out
Jonathan Clauss: Is too old

*** The original shortlist was 3 players but Centonze had an interesting profile and was pretty unknown to most, so I put him through as a wildcard

SCOUTING:
The next step was to watch the players and evaluate them, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses

Leo Dubois:

+++ Good delivery, can take set pieces too
++ Smart, picks passes well
+ Confident with the ball and carries when needed
+ Will play combinations with winger/midfield
+ Decent technically

- Average pace
-- Small and weak, will get pinned and spun by bigger forwards

Giovanni Di Lorenzo:

+++ Will overlap consistently, intense
++ Smart passer, will help find chances vs blocks
++ Big engine, up and down player
+ Good delivery
+ Quick

- Average agility
- Crossing ability falls a lot when running at speed
-- Will not dribble 1v1

Junior Sambia:

+++ Can hit floated/whipped/driven crosses consistently
++ Strong in duels
+ Can dribble 1v1
+ Decent technically
+ Decent in the air

- Questions about stamina
- Lacks natural agility, lethargic
- Passive when defending 1v1's, opponents can get shot/crosses off

Fabien Centonze:

+++ Intense defensively
+++ Very active 1v1, won't let opponent get shots/crosses off
++ Good 1v1 technique defensively
++ Fast & Agile
+ Decent in the air

- Can play with his head down sometimes
- Won't overlap very often
- Questions about technical ability

RANKINGS:

4th: Fabien Centonze

Interesting player with good athleticism and defending. Probably not good enough on the ball to be considered for Arsenal though.

3rd: Junior Sambia

Since being moved to right back this season, he's become a completely different player. Maybe a step up to Arsenal is a bit steep but it'll be interesting to see his development over the next few months

2nd: Giovanni Di Lorenzo

Slightly old, but with the technical ability to help support In attack, I think this would be a nice signing

1st: Leo Dubois

Considering the financial troubles of Ligue 1 and Lyon. Buying a player who offers enough in possesion, quality on set pieces and a good final ball seems like a good idea, and despite some flaws, Dubois ticks those boxes.

CONCLUTION:

This list tries to make up for a slight lack of quality, in value. Arsenal should be prioritising buying big forwards in the summer, and by picking wisely in positions like right-back, the club can loosen up funds for a game-changer, to take them to the next level.

Thanks for reading