PSG midfield maestro Marco Verratti is looking for new opportunities as he is in the midst of a fight with Unai Emery, his new manager, because of his risky style of play. With Santi Cazorla getting further past 30, a new face may be needed in midfield soon.
Specifically, Unai Emery was not a fan of the fact that Verratti likes to take the ball into tight spaces and use his dribbling skills near his own goal, which could potentially give a manager a heart attack. Like Cazorla, Verratti is slight in stature but creative with the ball and tougher than his 5’5″ frame would indicate. Thus far, he boasts a pass success rate of 89.3% in Ligue 1, along with a goal and a yellow card. One stat of his that really sticks out is the fact he is only dispossessed 2.1 times per game, meaning that he does well to hold onto the ball despite his risky style of play.
At just 23-years old, the Italian maestro has already been likened to compatriot Andrea Pirlo. Active and ill-disciplined, Verratti will add a bit more of an edge on defence because he loves a rough tackle, which is something Cazorla usually shies away from.
He would cost a fortune, but at such a young age and great experience already, the PSG midfield man would fit in well with the Arsenal style of football and would add some more physicality, which is needed in the team. If Emery cannot learn to appreciate Verratti’s style of play, it can be certain that Arsene Wenger will be able to fit the diminutive Italian in his team if he decides to splash the cash.
