Welcome to the Radar, a Sky Sports column in which Nick Wright uses a mix of data and opinion to shed light on need-to-know stories from up and down the Premier League. This week:
🔴 Zubimendi's Arsenal -Rol investigated 💨 Cunha to help Dorgu with Man Utd🦅 Palace's underestimated attacker🔍 A player to view this weekend
Zubimendi's role may surprise
The pre-season displays of Martin Zubimendi for Arsenal offered indications of why the club was willing to wait a year to sign him. The 26-year-old, whose relocation of £ 51 million from Real Sociedad had been agreed for the time being last summer, has already made a positive impression.
The real tests must of course still start at Old Trafford. But Mikel Arteta praises all his “incredible” presence and speed and quality of his decision -making. “It is something very unusual to find in a midfielder,” he told Sky Sports.
That intelligence stood out for those who also worked with him in Spain. “Like Xabi Alonso in the way he sees football,” says a former coach. “So good tactical,” says an old teammate. Early evidence suggests that Arteta likes to be able to use in unexpected ways.
Zubimendi has arrived as a no. 6. The club regards him as an addition of world class in the position. But it was striking how often he pushed forward in possession during the pre-season matches of Arsenal, especially in the 3-0 victory of last Saturday at Athletic Club.
Zubimendi produced the assist for the opening goal of Viktor Gyokeres with a PinPoint Cross from the right corner of the penalty area. Later he could be seen to have another chance for Kai Havertz with a backheel from the six-year box.
He usually operated further back, picked up the ball from the defenders of Arsenal, circulating possession and thread goes ahead. However, it is clear that his qualities can influence the last third part. He also has a perfect facilitator in Declan Rice.
It was expected that the arrival of Zubimendi rice would release in his left-sided no. 8 roll. As it happens, however, it can be more of a mutual attitude. The few positions changed against Athletic Club. When Zubimendi got ahead, Rice fell back.
It is a tactical detail that few expect, but it is easy to see the logic. Why not use the vision and passing capacity of Zubimendi in forward areas, especially against in -depth defenses? Who is better than rice, with all his athletics, to wipe up behind him at those moments?
Zubimendi will offer enormous value to the no. 6 roll. Rice will also remain impactful if a no. 8 with his drive and growing threat. But their complementary qualities, and the rare tactical intelligence of Zubimendi, can also offer unexpected possibilities.
Cunha to unlock Dorgu?
Much of the focus on Old Trafford on Sunday will fall on the new recruits of Manchester United. Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko have arrived at a combined cost of £ 207.2 million.
The club hopes that the trio will transform their attack.
It will be interesting to see how they can also influence the players who are already aware of the club. Patrick Dorgu, the left wing-back that was signed in a Deal worth £ 30 million in January of Lecce, in particular the arrival of Cunha in particular could benefit from the arrival of Cunha.
Dorgu was only impressed by patches last season when he had trouble developing a lot of understanding with Alejandro Garnacho. Both players like to make runs and ride the ball on the left flank. Dorgu was often busy from his favorite zones.
It helps to explain why Garnacho is now considered replaceable by Ruben Amorim, and why Club has recruited a player with very different strengths to fulfill his role. Cunha excels from the inside, is deep to combine with teammates and choose runners.
The differences can be seen in their respective heat cards for last season. While Garnacho usually embraced the touchline for the left left of Manchester United, Cunha Centraal drove to Wolves. His influence zone was considerably larger.
Manchester United will also have noticed how Cunha's positioning and playing style helped him thrive behind him at Wolves. Rayan Ait-Nouri, now from Manchester City, kept effective with Cunha and became a vital exhaust valve as a looting left-sided wing-back.
Between them, Cunha and Ait-Nouri created about twice as many scoring opportunities for each other at Wolves such as Dorgu and Garnacho in Manchester United last season.
The figures point to how Cunha could combine with Dorgu at Manchester United. There were also encouraging signs during the preseason, where Cunha produced striking displays and Dorgu one of their smartest artists in general, apparently revived.
Is Sarr Palace's real key player?
While supporters of Manchester United, Arsenal and other Premier League clubs are looking forward to new singers in competitive action for the first time this weekend, Crystal Palace are working on the players they could still lose.
Speculation continues around Ebereechi Eze and Marc Guehi. But at least the future of Ismaila Sarr looks safe. The 27-year-old, scorer of Palace's second goal in their community Shield victory on Liverpool last Sunday, continues to excel.
His goal in that match, clinically, ended with a characteristic run, helped him further where he had gone in the past term. They are six goals and three assists in nine games for Club and Country, because he scored twice in Palace's FA Cup Semi-final victory over Aston Villa. He also buried his sentence in Sunday's shooting in Wembley.
SARR characterizes Palace's direct, counter -falling approach under Oliver Glasner and he is a maker and a goal scorer. His total of 17 big chances created in the Premier League Last season was only improved by Mohamed Salah, Colmer and Bukayo Saka.
Eze created 11, in comparison, and SARR also posted superior underlying songs. The all-round attacking threat from the Senegal International is underlined by its average of 0.58 non-penalty expected goals and expected assists combined per 90 minutes.
Only 11 players registered a higher figure than that. It is a list of some of the most celebrated attackers from the Premier League. Maybe it's time to place SARR in the same bracket.
Player Radar: Who else should keep an eye on
A first chance to see new signing sessions in Premier League promotion is always a highlight of the opening weekend. Malick Diouf van West Ham, scorer of six goals for Slavia Prague of Full-Back last season, attracted attention in the preseason.