Which winger should Arsenal sign?

Ranking the top 25 wide attackers from 2023-2024

It feels like Arsenal might be one attacker from completing its core of forwards, and this summer could be the time to make a move. Regardless of whether it’s a Saka backup you’re looking for, or a Martinelli replacement (couldn’t be me), I’ve got you covered. I’ll spare the drama and just delve in from here…presenting the best wingers of 2023-2024!

Some disclaimers, which I always do:

• This list is created relying fully on statistics from this season. Players are rated using a whole bunch of data points of varying weights. Players who did well here combined directness, creativity, scoring threat and ball security well, and I did also weight more in favor of guys who played more minutes, speaking of which…

• Minimum for inclusion was 900 league minutes, which is 10 full games, on the first cut. I did pare my list down from there to focus on players who started more games than not.

• I generally aimed toward pre-prime or early prime, with a couple of exceptions.

• There’s a really wide variation in ideal roles in this list. I’ll call them out as we go.

• I always encourage a healthy dose of the eye test before forming a final opinion on any player, so consume responsibly.

• All scores are subject to an adjustment according to league strength, so you shouldn’t have to mentally raise or lower rankings to make it more “fair.”

• One unique thought to bring to this ranking: Below you’re going to see a bunch of radar charts, and in many cases the G-xG/90 axis is either going to look pretty empty, or pretty full. It’s human nature to think that full = good in this case, and maybe it is. But while players with a fuller bar there ranked better, it’s at least worth noting that this is an indicator of running way out in front of xG, and that could be a good or bad thing, and that will be unique to each situation. And the reverse for guys with an empty spot there. Just food for thought.

Before we start ranking guys, I just want to review Arsenal’s wingers who qualified for this one, starting with the starboy.

What a creative force Saka was this past season. His dribble numbers aren’t impressive, and that’s to be expected when you’re doubled up as much as he was, but it’s worth noting how rarely he lost the ball per touch, while still being one of the most direct wingers out there. His goal and xG output were above average as well, but maybe growing there is something to look for next season, as he goes from “among the best” to “the best”. Unsurprisingly, Saka would top this ranking.

Trossard’s season felt a little uneven, but the aggregate here is very good. He was prolific as a scorer (no surprise) and pretty muted as a creator. While he didn’t dribble much, he did carry the ball well. Not being able to beat a man consistently is something that shows up here, and I’m sure that’s no surprise. Also, while he’s a career plush finisher, this is a little above his usual. The sleep-deprived Belgian would have ranked fifth here.

This is probably the most interesting discussion to have among Arsenal’s wingers. Martinelli’s PR was pretty bad this past season, due in large part to the dropoff in finishing that took him from 15 goals to just 6. But look at this chart…this isn’t bad. While a little more balance to the attack would help Martinelli’s dribbling numbers, overall he was progressive and incisive as a carrier, and creative as a passer. A mild rebound as a finisher and he’s doing really well next season. The million-dollar question: Where does he rank? Try sixth!

And now let’s get into it, starting with my honorable mention: