Negredo vs Giroud
Arsenal have been looking to increase some of their goal-scoring options, especially due to the fact that Danny Welbeck has not got into ‘beast’ mode last season and some of their other youngsters are not ready to take the mantle of leading Arsenal’s attack. The Gunners can get away with it by playing Alexis Sanchez as the main striker in case Giroud misses out due to injury but that would not allow Sanchez to have the impact he normally has when he plays in other positions.
The Gunners could be looking to bring in a seasoned professional in Alvaro Negredo, the Spanish striker spent last season on loan at Valencia and could be a cheap option to have as cover for Giroud. We compare both strikers using stats from Squawka.com, should the Gunners try to get him?
Linking up with the Arsenal players is key for their striker
Before we even compare the important striker stats for the players, we must look at one of the most important facets of playing for Arsenal. Movement and linking up with the other attackers is one of the keys to their playing style and this is where Giroud scores and trumps Negredo when it comes to forward passes completed per game.
The French striker averages 14.6 forward passes per game compared to just 8.0 forward passes per game by Negredo. The linking up and playing with the other attackers continues with Giroud leading the way, the Arsenal striker averaged almost 1 key pass per game compared to just 0.6 key passes per game for Negredo.
Even when it comes to playing teammates in, it is Giroud who leads this stat. The Gunner averaged 1 chance per game compared to Negredo’s 0.7 chance per game. Even shot accuracy is where Giroud leads the way with 50% of his shots hitting the target while the Spanish striker only hit the target 40% of the time.
The only place where Negredo shows his class is when it comes to the physical aspect of the game. Negredo leads the French striker having won close to 60% of his aerial duels last season, while Giroud only won 50% of his aerial duels, even when it comes to all duels won, it is Negredo who leads with 51% of all duels won compared to Giroud’s 46%.
The fact is that Negredo is a great player to have when it comes to requiring a battering ram with great finishing. Giroud by far is a better player than the Spaniard and should face no problems when it comes to his place being threatened by Negredo, Arsenal need to look at better options than the Spaniard.
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