da dobrowin： Arsenal could be set to secure a deal with West Ham United for one of their English talents, in a move separate from their pursuit of Declan Rice…
What's the latest on Ben Johnson to Arsenal?
da bet vitoria： That's according to insider ExWHUemployee, who issued a transfer update on the Hammers' young defender, Ben Johnson.
Within the report, he noted how the 23-year-old is continuing to evade contract talks with his boyhood club, who in turn are refusing to pay him the wages he desires. Likely searching for more first-team assurances, he could look elsewhere. It is likely that he would be more comfortable as a backup for a team like Mikel Arteta's, or as a starter for Everton, than sticking with his current position.
As the Gunners seem set to battle with the Toffees for his signature, it is worth noting that The Guardian had expected the £11m-rated stalwart to leave back in June. This new interest could reaffirm those claims.
How good is Ben Johnson?
Although Johnson could only muster 17 league appearances last season under David Moyes – nine of which were starts – he has shown glimpses of the titanic defender he could be one day across his short career.
Arteta likely sees these superior physical assets and believes that investing early in this versatile ace could allow him to instil the core values of his philosophy within this project player.
The 2021/22 campaign arguably outlines the apex of his Premier League tenure thus far, as he managed 20 appearances whilst maintaining a 6.89 average rating. This was a figure largely buoyed by his defensive excellence, to which he mustered 1.1 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and 2.5 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
However, this was underpinned by a miserable 71% pass accuracy that the Spanish coach would strive to improve.
To emphasise just how physically superior Johnson is to most of his peers, when compared to Arsenal's hulking centre-back William Saliba, the youngster shines.
When placing their defensive statistics side by side, which consists of tackles, interceptions, blocks, clearances and aerials won per 90, West Ham's defensive prodigy outperforms the towering Frenchman in every single metric except for the latter. It is this mastery that suggests the Englishman is far more physical than even Arsenal's second-best-performing defender from last term.
It is no surprise to see former professional footballer Anton Ferdinand brand him "immense" in the past, lauding the club's depth.
However, it could now be Arteta that adds to his wealth of talent, by engaging in a passion project of his own to mould these various physical assets into a technically proficient star for his system.