How to invest in the Arsenal midfield

The Arsenal price reveals have made for interesting discussions in the FPL community. Using data from the 2021/22 season we assess how to invest in the Arsenal midfield.

The Fantasy Football Scout Members Area allows FPL managers to compare data for different players and clubs. The Arsenal prices for the 2021/22 have Saka at £8.0m with the rest of the midfielders priced in and around the £6-£6.5m bracket. We compare the Arsenal midfielders to see who are the best investments for FPL managers.

The Arsenal attack

Checking out the Arsenal attack data in general is always a good indication of what we can actually expect from the midfield. Arsenal have been a top six side in most areas of the pitch in recent years and last season was no different. In the league Arsenal were:

Fourth for chances created in total, just two behind Chelsea.

Fifth for expected goals from open play.

Third for expected goals from set plays.

Fourth for goals scored outside of the box.

Fourth for attempts inside the box.

The stats above show us that Arsenal are up there with some of the best teams in the league from an attacking perspective. An indicator that going for an Arsenal midfielder is the way to go, but which one?

Comparing the Midfielders

Here we will take a look different factors including price, minutes played, distribution and assist potential and goal threat. This will hopefully highlight the go to Arsenal midfielder this season. We will dive into the stats of Saka, Martinelli, Emile Smith Rowe (ESR) and Odegaard and see who comes out on top.

Minutes– Saka and Odegaard are clear in terms of minutes. Saka was first with 2997 last season showing how important he is with Odegaard not too far behind. Martinelli and Smith Rowe however both managed under 2000. An early indication that the latter two are not fully nailed.

Prices- Saka tops the list as the most expensive in FPL this season at £8m, Odegaard £1.5m cheaper at £6.5m and both Martinelli and ESR (Emile Smith Rowe) at £6 million. So far there does seem to be an early pattern emerging.

Distribution

Successful passes in the final third- Odegaard takes this one with 527 with Saka close behind. ESR was third with 314 and Martinelli coming last with 261.

Successful crosses- Saka finishes on top here with 11 more successful crosses than Odegaard. Martinelli pips ESR to take third place.

Chances created- Odegaard beats Saka here with nine more chances created. Only four chances created separates ESR and Martinelli with the latter nipping ahead.

Big chances created- Saka created nine big chances with Odegaard behind with six. Martinelli with the third most Big chances created with five and ESR with just three.

Assists- Saka once again leads the way with seven assists but close behind was Martinelli with six. Odegaard created four assists whilst ESR only created two.

Distribution Summary

Standout option Saka managed to top three of the five key data under distribution which highlights him even more as the best FPL midfield pick from Arsenal. Odegaard is cheaper and did win two of the five data points but still came away with less assists and with much more minutes played than ESR and Martinelli.

Martinelli and ESR played less minutes as mentioned but it was Martinelli that appeared more effective when it came down to the key distribution stats. This could indicate that with more minutes Martinelli could rival Saka in the distribution section.

Goal Threat

Penalty area touches: Saka leads the way with 221, Martinelli around 100 less but ESR and Martinelli third and fourth with 66 and 65 respectively.

Goals scored: Saka again leads the way with 11 goals with ESR close behind with 10 scored. Odegaard scored seven goals and Martinelli last with six.

Attempts on goal: Ahead again is Saka with 97 attempts on goal. Odegaard pips Martinelli by one shot with 53 whilst ESR bottom with 40.

Attempts on goal in the box: No surprises with Saka ahead on 72 attempts inside the box. Martinelli interestingly takes second with 44. ESR had 30 attempts in the box whilst Odegaard only had 21 shots.

Big chances total: Martinelli surprisingly comes ahead of Saka with 13 whilst Saka only levels ESR with eight big chances. Its no surprise Odegaard comes last with just three.

Summary

Saka wins four out of five when it came to key attacking stats, proving he probably is the best attacking asset out of the bunch. Odegaard shows that half of his shots actually come from outside the box which isn’t promising attacking play.

Martinelli wins one of the key stat battles with five more big chances than Saka which came as a shock. This could indicate, similar to his distribution stats that with more game time Martinelli could well be Arsenals second best Midfielder asset.

Want to know more about Arsenal in 2021/22? Check out our season review article from last season.