Following injuries to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel during pre-season, Arsenal were keen to strengthen their options at centre-back. On Tuesday, the Gunners finally confirmed the signing of Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi for an undisclosed fee, believed to be worth up to £35 million.
The 24-year-old has penned a long-term contract at the Emirates and, speaking to the club’s official website, gave an insight into what type of defender we can expect to see:
“Right now I would say that I’m quite an aggressive player. I go into everything, that’s what I learnt in England. But on the other side, I’m quite tactical. I try to read the game, like you do in Italy. With the ball, I try to play out and enjoy having the ball, not just giving it away as soon as you get it.”
Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, reckons the new boy’s previous experience of life in England should serve him well:
“He is a very intelligent boy, that was important in my decision as well. He is very focused as I told you, and he knows the rigorous climate of the Premier League and how much you have to fight for every game. I know as well he is a very focused player who can play with the ball as well. That is important for us, and all this quality made me decide to try and get him. The player wanted to join us as well, and I think he will hopefully be happy here and will enforce our squad. It puts us in a good position”.
The History
Mustafi’s big break came when he joined Hamburg’s youth set-up at the age of 14. He spent three years at the German side before moving to Everton in 2009.
The defender was handed his professional debut for the Toffees in a Europe League match against BATE Borisov in December 2009, but failed to make a Premier League appearance for the club, leading his departure from Goodison Park in January 2012 to join Italian outfit Sampdoria.
Mustafi only made one Serie B appearance during the rest of the 2011/12 campaign as Sampdoria gained promotion back to Serie A, but began to force his way into the first-team squad the following season, racking up 17 league appearances, gaining one assist.
The 2013/14 season saw Mustafi establish himself as a regular starter for Sampdoria, totalling 33 Serie A matches, which yielded a goal and an assist. His performances caught the eye of Spanish side Valencia, who splashed out around €8 million for his services in August 2014.
Over the past two seasons, Mustafi has been a mainstay of the Valencia side, making 63 league appearances, scoring six goals and claiming two assists.
Mustafi featured for Germany through all the age groups from Under 16 to Under 21, making 61 appearances in total, impressively scoring 11 goals. He made his senior debut against Poland in May 2014. The centre-back was part of the 2014 World Cup winning squad and also featured in Euro 2016. He currently has 12 caps to his name, and has scored one goal, coming in the 2-0 win over Ukraine in the opening match of Euro 2016.
The Prospects
Given the sizeable outlay, it’s expected the German defender will be the first choice partner for Laurent Koscielny at the heart of the Arsenal defence.
That looks to have ended Rob Holding’s chances of retaining a starting berth, with Mertesacker and Gabriel likely to be consigned to back-up roles upon their returns from injury.
With the Gunners keeping 18 clean sheets last term, the joint-most in the top flight alongside Man United, there’s little doubt members of Arsenal’s backline are extremely attractive options for Fantasy managers. A new defender was clearly needed following the 4-3 defeat to Liverpool on the opening weekend, while they also conceded at Watford in Gameweek 3.
The German international has been handed a 6.0 price tag in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), the same as Koscielny and Nacho Monreal, with Hector Bellerin the most expensive Arsenal defender at 6.5.
Looking at the underlying statistics for all four defenders from last season, it was Mustafi who offered the greatest goal threat, averaging a shot every 121.9 minutes, better than Koscielny (157.6), Bellerin (262.5) and Monreal (285.4).
In terms of CBI numbers, Mustafi led the way for interceptions, making one every 20.2 minutes last term, slightly better than Koscielny (23.8), although the France international was slightly more impressive in terms of clearances, averaging one every 15.4 minutes, compared to every 16.8 minutes for the former Valencia player.
Bellerin and Monreal obviously offer superior assist potential from the full-back positions, having registered six and three respectively last term, but the mixture of set-piece threat and bonus point potential keeps Mustafi and Koscielny in the mix, particularly with Bellerin 0.5 more expensive than the pair. The right-back is currently the most owned Arsenal defender in FPL, boasting a vast ownership of 27.1%.
Petr Cech is, of course, a cheaper option at 5.5, but with plenty of value available in the goalkeeper position, he may struggle to garner too much attentions.
Arsenal’s fixtures (SOT, hul, CHE, bur, SWA, MID, sun) are very favourable over the coming period, so owning a Gunners defender could well prove to be worthwhile at this point in the season.
Having scored seven goals over the last two seasons, and given his standing as the first choice centre-back, Koscielny may at this juncture provide the safer bet for FPL bosses. The underlying statistics suggest Mustafi could rival the Frenchman in that department – particularly if referees continue to clamp down on holding in the box, allowing the German more leeway to attack set-pieces from close-range.
