Arsenal have been linked with a move for Eintracht Frankfurt player Jesper Lindstrom in January to strengthen their squad depth.
Bild reported that given the injuries to Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe and Mohamed Elneny this season, midfield could be a concern for Arsenal. However, it should be noted that Lindstrom plays a more attacking role compared to Partey. Arsenal have also been linked with a move for Croatian prodigy Lovro Majer.
Lindstrom is an attacking midfielder who only signed for the Bundesliga side last year, but has started off the new season with three goals in ten appearances (stats via transfermarkt) for last year’s Europa League winners. Lindstrom can be available for around £20 million and has expressed his interest to play in the Premier League.
Frankfurt, who are seventh in the Bundesliga, have Lindstrom under contract until the summer of 2026.
Lindstrom will be in Frankfurt’s history books after scoring the club’s first ever Champions League goal this month. He netted in the 1-0 away win over Olympique Marseille to further enhance his glowing reputation.
Player Profile
Jesper Lindstrom was signed by Frankfurt last summer for just €7 million and has been one of the underrated players this season for club and country. His physical frame is not ideal for Premier League as he stands at 1.82m in height. He is right-footed but is perfectly comfortable playmaking with both feet.
His five goals and five assists are a good start for a young attacker new to a top league (stats via transfermarkt), but aside from goals and assists, his overall performances have been excellent. He is a player with clear talent and a high ceiling while he has also been recognised in the national media for his excellent performances, with several ‘team of the week’ appearances.
He is a high-volume dribbler, and although he needs to improve his completion percentage when doing so, he can be a very useful ball progressor, especially in moments of attacking transition. He can also create shooting opportunities for himself or his teammates with his clear knack for innovative dribbling in certain moments.
He scored five goals and landed nine assists after arriving from Brondby last season, and his price tag sits around the £17m mark. And Mikel Arteta, who was believed to be looking for a winger and a midfielder could kill two birds with one stone with his signing.
Jesper Lindstrom offers the versatility that plenty of managers are looking for in the modern game. He can play as a central playmaker or as a winger and has caught the eye of a number of scouts in his breakthrough season last term.
Lindstrom enjoyed a stellar breakthrough campaign with Frankfurt over the course of last season, with the Danish prodigy scoring five goals and registering nine assists in all competitions as well as being instrumental in the club’s Europa League triumph. He has managed to carry over his impressive form into the current campaign.
He can operate as a conventional right-winger, sticking tight to the right flank, but he isn’t the kind of winger to drive with the ball to the byline and whip crosses in. Instead, he looks to cut inside as he gets closer to the goal and we can see this in the pattern of actions seen on the right flank in the heat map. As he nears the opposition goal, there is a healthy amount of activity inside the 18-yard box.
Jesper Lindstrom undoubtedly has room for improvement — that is obvious to see. Whilst his goals and assists thus far this season is a good start, he can certainly improve on these attributes, particularly when it comes to his somewhat poor accuracy in front of goal.
However, he has already grown into a highly valuable asset for this Eintracht Frankfurt side. He is most at home at right-wing, but his ability to play multiple positions means he can fit different systems and tactical needs of different games and frankly, there hasn’t been a great drop-off in performance even when he has found himself in one of these different positions.
Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Jesper Lindstrom hasn't entirely ruled out a potential move to Arsenal in the future pic.twitter.com/Oktz1ZA08P
— Transfermarkt.co.uk (@TMuk_news) September 28, 2022
Verdict
Lindstrom told Tipsbladet when asked about the reports linking him to Arsenal:
“It’s always great to play in the biggest league in the world, but whether Arsenal is right for me is hard to say. Right now, I’m in a good place in Frankfurt, but it’s great that there are clubs like them that are watching me. Something may have to happen at some point, but right now I’m fine.”
Jesper Lindstrom is far from the finished product right now, but is developing nicely in a Frankfurt side that will want to push for European football in this second half of the season. They have some interesting young talents dotted throughout this side — and are a team that can grow and build around these players.
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Lindstrøm is certainly one of these talents and whilst he won’t be attracting major interest just yet, he is absolutely a player worth keeping an eye on over the next 2-3 seasons. He has the traits necessary to continue to thrive in the Bundesliga – but perhaps he may also pique the interest of teams in the Premier League too.
Youri Tielemans was a long-term target for Arteta, but his £25m price tag has put off the Gunners, especially when his contract expires at the King Power next June and he will be available on a free transfer.
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The post Arsenal Target £17m Eintracht Frankfurt Midfielder With Talks Underway: What Can he Add to Arteta’s Arsenal Side? appeared first on Arsedevils.
