Arsenal legend Martin Keown has told TalkSPORT he would like to see Trent Alexander-Arnold in the Arsenal midfield despite him being a right-back by trade. The former centre-back was waxing lyrical about the defender following England’s 7-0 win over Montenegro.
Keown told Jim White (reported via HITC): “An absolute joy to watch him play. The capability he has off left foot, right foot, I honestly feel he could play centre midfield for England. I do feel when Winks gets the ball, is he better than Alexander Arnold?
“I think Alexander-Arnold could go in (midfield) and pull the strings for England. He’s more than capable. I’d like to see him in the Arsenal midfield by the way.”
TIF Tactics – A lack of midfield quality
The fact Keown is even discussing a full-back playing in the centre of the Arsenal midfield highlights the lack of creativity Emery currently has at his disposal. The chances of the 21-year-old moving to north London are remote to say the least and therefore the Liverpool fans are likely to take the former Invincible’s comment as a compliment rather than anything to be concerned about.
There is certainly a strong argument that the Arsenal midfield lacks creativity, particularly without Mesut Ozil in it but contrary to what people may think – according to WhoScored.com both Granit Xhaka (86%) and Matteo Guendouzi (88%) have a higher pass success rate than Trent Alexander-Arnold (74%). The statistics will be slightly skewed by the fact the right-back throws in a lot of crosses which are less likely to reach their intended target but equally, that’s why he has three times the number of assists as each of the aforementioned pair.