Is Joshua Kimmich leaving Bayern Munich?
The latest comes from Spanish outlet Marca, who suggest that Mikel Arteta could pounce on the uncertain future of Joshua Kimmich by tempting him to north London.
Although the report seeks to detail Barcelona’s interest, as they strive to find a successor to the recently departed Sergio Busquets, Premier League intrigue is instead reserved for the tail-end of the piece.
The Gunners are said to be interested alongside Liverpool, with his FootballTransfers valuation of €67.9m (£59m) sure to whip up interest in the imperious midfield maestro.
How good is Joshua Kimmich?
The 28-year-old machine joined Bayern Munich in 2015 and took no time at all to establish himself as one of the club’s outstanding performers. Mimicking the career path of the legendary Philipp Lahm, moving from right-back into central midfield has unlocked the true creative potential of the German international.
His average rating in the Bundesliga last season serves to outline this, as it stood at a lofty 7.73. This made him the best performer throughout a squad littered with stars, boosted by his 11 goal contributions, 90% pass completion rate and 2.4 tackles, 2.7 key passes and 1.2 interceptions per game, via Sofascore.
There are arguably few in his role across Europe who manage to be as outstanding in every attribute, with Julian Nagelsmann’s claims on the £322k-per-week general making sense:
“The great thing is he's world-class at right-back and in midfield.”His switch to England, should it be under Arteta’s leadership, would coincide perfectly with the recent departure of Granit Xhaka this summer.
During the campaign, the £120k-per-week gem morphed into a true offensive threat from the engine room as a box-to-box monster, completing his redemption arc and making him one of Arsenal’s key figures.
However, his desire for a long-term contract saw him seek an exit, with his departure to Bayer Leverkusen confirmed earlier this month.
granit-xhaka
His 14 goal contributions in the league will be hard to replace, and despite having spent over £200m already this summer, none of the three big names brought in are expected to provide such firepower from that role.
Therefore, a huge vacancy has opened up that Kimmich would fill with ease.
Not only do his figures surpass most of Xhaka’s from his most recent triumph, but the deep-lying playmaker also has enjoyed an illustrious career laden with elite honours. His trophy cabinet consists of one Champions League, three German cups and eight Bundesliga titles.
This kind of experience would be invaluable in pushing them one step further in their race for the Premier League title, which they fell so painstakingly short of last year.
To reference the 30-year-old Swiss international’s form from last term, his 7.05 average rating, 86% pass accuracy, 1.3 key passes and 0.9 key passes per game, via Sofascore, pale in comparison to the aforementioned figures of his potential successor.
Fans might have worried when news broke of Xhaka’s imminent departure, but if Kimmich is to be his replacement, they might move on far sooner than expected.
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