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So, the first thing to look at are his statistics from his time in the Premier League, and when we do that, it becomes abundantly clear why people like journalist Tom Young have described the German's left foot as being "like a traction engine."
For example, in his 90 league appearances, he scored 25 goals, and a whopping 23 of them came off of his left boot, with just one coming off his right. How he scored that last one is anyone's guess.
However, while it's fun to wax lyrical about the German's incredible left peg, let's look at how his underlying numbers stack up to Nelson's.
Well, unsurprisingly, it's an emphatic win for the former Manchester City ace, as he comes out way ahead in every relevant metric, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, shots and shots on target, shot and goal-creating actions, and successful take-ons, all per 90.
Sane vs Nelson
Stats per 90
Sane
Nelson
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.75
0.33
Non-Penalty Goals + Assists
0.62
0.41
Progressive Passes
4.21
3.06
Progressive Carries
4.97
3.06
Shots
2.88
2.48
Shots on Target
1.15
0.28
Shot-Creating Actions
5.41
4.65
Goal-Creating Actions
0.71
0.40
Successful Take-Ons
3.76
1.63
All Stats via FBref for 23/24 Season
Ultimately, if Arsenal can get their hands on Sane for a reasonable fee this summer, signing him as the upgrade on Nelson seems like a no-brainer, as he beats the Englishman in practically every comparison and by quite some way at that.
Moreover, if he can rekindle the form he showed under Arteta at the Etihad, the Gunners would have a genuinely exceptional winger on their hands, a winger with a wand for a left foot.
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