Arsenal have fuelled a commonly held notion regarding the standard of French top flight football through the signing of Nicolas Pepe.
Footballing snobbery dictates that individual and collective achievements in Ligue 1 are to be taken with a pinch – or perhaps a fistful – of salt.
That Paris Saint-Germain’s failure to progress beyond the Champions League quarter-final has ran parallel to a trend of domestic dominance which has seen them lift six of the past seven Ligue 1 titles has certainly enhanced feelings of contempt towards French football.
But that didn’t prevent the Gunners from parting with £72m last summer to sign one of the division’s top performers, though they may now be regretting that extortionate decision.
And according to a recent report from Italian media outlet Calciomercato, Arsenal may already be lining up a player to rival him for a place in Mikel Arteta’s starting lineup.
The report claims representatives from the north London club are expected to take a closer look at Sassuolo star Domenico Berardi in the coming weeks.
A product of the Sassuolo academy, the Italian winger left the club for Juventus in 2013 and returned on a two year loan deal before official re-signing on a permanent basis in 2015 for £9m. Given the progress Berardi has made since leaving the Old Lady, though, he is bound to attract a transfer fee well in excess of that figure.
And when we dive into the statistics it becomes apparent that he could be an upgrade on the former Ivory Coast international.
Both players are naturally left-footed wingers who are at their pulsating best when drifting inside from the right wing, but the stats indicate that Berardi has showcased a superior ability to put himself in promising goal scoring situations this season.
The five-cap Italy international has scored five more league goals than his potential future teammate, though that return has been garnered from 4.1 shots per game – 2.3 more than Pepe has taken on average.
Perhaps that is a symptom of the respective styles of Sassuolo and Arsenal, but equally it could be an indicator of Berardi’s ability to take up more natural positions from which to shoot inside the final third.
One area Pepe trumps Berardi in is dribbles recorded per game, though it’s intriguing to note that the latter still wins more fouls and completes more key passes despite embarking on less forays forward with the ball glued to his feet – stats which suggest his runs are more purposeful, decisive and effective.
And it’s also worth noting the defensive aspect of Berardi’s game and his willingness to offer a shield to the defensive unit. He has given away 2 fouls per game this season – 1.7 more than Pepe – and averaged 1.4 tackles and 1.2 interceptions, showcasing a greater defensive involvement than Arsenal’s record-signing, who averages 1.3 and 0.3.
Pepe has managed to collect one more league assist in the current campaign, but a return of 38 assists in the previous six Serie A seasons proves that Berardi relentlessly provides goal scoring opportunities for his teammates.
And surrounding himself with quality individuals at a superior outfit can only be conducive to an improvement in his assist tally.
It’s too early to write Pepe off at the Emirates Stadium but his place will be under serious threat if Arsenal land an all-action player who has consistently performed to a high standard in one of Europe’s elite divisions over the past six-and-a-half seasons.
Arteta has a gem in his crosshair.