Santi Cazorla’s continued absence for Arsenal has been a major concern for the Gunners, as Arsene Wenger’s side have struggled to find a capable replacement within their ranks- which is a big problem given Cazorla’s age.
The 32-year-old is expected to remain until at least 2018 but continued injury problems do not help his cause and Arsenal seriously need to find a player capable of filling into his position when required, especially as the ageing Spaniard is likely to be unable to cope with playing across four competitions next season.
Given the class of Cazorla, a replacement could prove to be costly for Arsenal but it’s something where the Gunners need to ensure they don’t penny-pinch in, as failing to strengthen this area is likely to lead to further problems.
Juventus’ Miralem Pjanic is a name that has been linked but TalkSport suggests an issue has arisen the form of Real Madrid, with the Spanish giants set to rival the Gunners for the Bosnian playmaker’s signature.
Zinedine Zidane’s side have plenty of financial firepower but comparing Pjanic’s figures to Cazorla shows Arsenal cannot afford to miss out, as the 26-year-old is a ready-made replacement for the Spaniard.
Per game this season, Pjanic has bettered Cazorla in chances created and shots taken, whilst his passing accuracy and shot accuracy are only slightly behind the Spanish veteran.
Cazorla’s successful passes-per-game are significantly higher than Pjanic’s but that may be down to Arsenal’s style, as the Gunners favour short passes when building up the attack and don’t go direct too often.
Whats perhaps most impressive is Pjanic has managed to keep his numbers as comparable with Cazorla despite playing over double the amount of minutes this season, with Cazorla having made just eight Premier League appearances before his injury in October.
[ad_pod id=’Shoot-Xmas-Survey’ align=’left’]
