Arsenal hit gold on “monster” Emery signing

It’s set to be a massive summer of transfer activity for Arsenal this year; Mikel Arteta even told the media as much.

The main point of focus will undoubtedly be the frontline, with a new leftwinger and striker near the top of most fans’ wishlists following a season in which Mikel Merino has taken up the latter role due to injuries.

However, old habits die hard, and based on reports from earlier this month, it looks as if the manager wants to add yet another defender to his squad in the shape of Dean Huijsen.

The Bournemouth star has a £50m release clause in his current deal and would certainly improve the Gunners’ defensive options, but he’d have to really impress to see his valuation get anywhere close to one of Unai Emery’s best signings from his time at the club.

Why Arsenal want to sign Dean Huijsen

So, before we get to the player in question, why would Arsenal want to spend so much money on Huijsen in the first place?

Well, the first reason is that, despite just turning 20 years old, the Spanish centre-back is already proving himself to be an incredible defender and someone mature beyond his years.

For example, he’s already made 30 appearances for the Cherries this term, in which he’s found the back of the net twice and provided one assist, and then, on top of that, he has also won two senior caps for Spain and started their second leg of the Nations League quarter-final against the Netherlands last month.

Moreover, when compared to other defenders in the Premier League, his underlying metrics are simply sensational.

For example, FBref places him in the top 3% of centre-backs for interceptions and clearances, the top 5% for key passes, the top 4% for non-penalty expected goals plus assists, the top 7% for expected assists and shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

In short, the Amsterdam-born gem looks set to be a superstar defender in the coming years, and with that in mind, his release clause starts to look much more reasonable.

However, it still pales compared to the valuation of a signing made under Emery’s Arsenal tenure.

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The Arsenal star worth millions more than Huijsen

So, when it comes to Arsenal’s defence, you could argue that any one of their players is their most important, but when it comes down to the most valuable, only one player comes out on top: William Saliba.

Yes, according to the CIES Football Observatory, the French international is now worth up to €101.8m, which converts to about £87m, or around £37m more than Huijsen’s release clause and a whopping £60m more than the £27m fee paid by the Gunners under Emery’s leadership in the summer of 2019.

Now, that is a tremendous amount of money, but with how well he has played over the last few years and just how important he has become to the North Londoners, it would be hard to argue it’s not fair.

For example, since making his competitive debut for the side away to Crystal Palace on the opening day of the 22/23 season, a game he was the man of the match in, the Bondy-born “monster,” as dubbed by content creator Connor Humm, has made 127 appearances, in which he’s scored seven goals, provided two assists and averaged 2.11 points per game.

On top of that, FBref places the “phenomenal” titan, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, in the top 1% of Premier League centre-backs for long pass completion, the top 3% for overall pass completion, the top 7% for passes blocked and the top 9% for live passes, all per 90.

Ultimately, while it may be a good idea for Arsenal to sign Huijsen this summer, he’d have to smash all expectations to see his valuation get anywhere close to Saliba’s in the coming years; he is just that good.

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