Where is Santi Cazorla next? 5 players Arteta’s Arsenal should look at

What Arsenal what he could do at the moment is a player of Santi Cazorla’s ability. The Gunners had struggled over the previous few months, struggling to make up ground on the run Premier League leading Liverpool, while they were defeated on penalties by Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup.

In a season in which Manchester City suffered a major drop in performance, winning just 10 of their opening 21 Premier League games, Mikel Arteta should have drawn inspiration from this.

Unfortunately, it seems that they could end the season again without a trophy. Injury problems played their part, but the north Londoners did not look like the fluid side that City had come so close to in the previous two seasons.

The lack of a true standout striker hurts their cause, with Kai Havertz often playing the role of lone centre-forward. Will another striker join the club in the transfer window?

The German has scored 12 goalsbut it is clear that he needs more support. Imagine the superb Cazorla linking up with the former Chelsea star in the current Arsenal squad.

The Spaniard became a cult icon of the Gunners during his five seasons at the club, scoring 29 goals and registered 44 assists. His positional flexibility has allowed him to play in several positions for Arsenal, including as a number ten, out wide, and in a deeper role under Arsène Wenger during his final seasons.

If Arteta could call up someone with his ability now, some of his problems might disappear.

As such, we’ve taken an in-depth look at players currently playing whose style of play is comparable to Cazorla’s.

A few hidden gems, a youngster who has made his mark in the Premier League and someone who has won the Champions League and six league titles, they are all…

1

Bernardo Silva

Manchester City

The first player who certainly fits Cazorla’s style is Bernardo Silvawho has achieved so much since joining Manchester City in the summer of 2017.

The Portuguese star has become one of the key players for City during their dominance under Pep Guardiola. Indeed, in 383 games for the Etihad side, Silva has registered 139 goal contributions – 69 goals and 70 assists – while operating in the positions that made Cazorla such a threat during his spell with the Gunners.

This season, Silva has created eight big chances in the Premier League while being average 1.8 keys and succeeding with one dribble per game – these are all attributes at which Cazorla excelled.

The 30-year-old took refuge on the right wing throughout the season, which he proves his heat map on Sofascorewhich Cazorla excelled at.

A move to Arsenal isn’t exactly on the cards anytime soon, but there’s no doubt Silva could act as Cazorla 2.0 for the club if the opportunity to join Arteta’s side ever arises.

2

Pablo Torre

Barcelona

If Silva is someone who will not wear Arsenal colors throughout his career, Pablo Torre is still young enough for Arteta to further test his potential.

The 21-year-old moved to Barcelona in 2022 after an impressive spell at Racing Santander, but it took him a few years to finally make an impact at the Catalan side.

This season, Torre has scored four times while registering three assists in just 10 matches, increasing his reputation with each passing game.

Like Cazorla, Torre does not bully opponents with his physique, but with his intelligence and vision when on the ball.

He is certainly better at home in a more advanced role, particularly shining in the number 10 position – an area of ​​the pitch where Cazorla has arguably been at his best for Arsenal.

During the 2014/15 season, the Spaniard worked behind the striker on 15 occasionsregistering seven goal contributions in the process.

Compared to peers in Europe’s top five leagues via FBref, Torre is in the top 4% for passing yards (7.36) and in the top 7% for pass completion percentage (83.1%) at 90 over the previous 365 days.

Not only does the youngster often try to pass the ball into the final third during games, but he is also content to circulate possession, allowing Barcelona to build attack after attack.

Such traits have been common during Cazorla’s time at Arsenal, and if the 21-year-old ever wants to leave the La Liga giants, Arteta could do worse than bring him to north London.

3

Harvey Elliott

Liverpool

It might not be an obvious name when we think of players similar to Cazorla, but Harvey Elliott fits the bill in more ways than one.

The 21-year-old didn’t quite get as much playing time as expected under Arne Slot this season at Liverpool, made only 10 appearances in all competitions.

During his time on the pitch, he played as a number 10, right wing and central midfielder – all positions Cazorla operated in during his time at Arsenal.

Among his peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Elliott shines in a number of indicators where Cazorla also excels. Indeed, he is in the top 1% for shot creation (5.59) and assists (0.67) per 90, while also ranking in the top 6% for progressive passes (8.13) and top 5% for progressive passes (2.68) per 90 in the previous 365 days.

This statistic marks him as a player who could offer similar qualities to Cazorla.

Judging by his lack of game time under Sloto, could he potentially be available for a move away from Anfield in the coming months? If so, Arteta may need to bring him to the Gunners, especially as Elliott will want to continue his development in the Premier League.

4

David Pereira da Costa

Lens

Like Torre, David Pereira da Costa is certainly a hidden gem when looking at those who displayed similar qualities to Cazorla during his time in North London.

The 24-year-old has been impressive for Lens throughout his career so far, having already collected a total of 122 performances for the Ligue 1 side, registering 23 goal contributions in the process.

Pereira da Costa has mainly operated as an attacking midfielder throughout his career, so he doesn’t offer as much flexibility as Cazorla at the Gunners, but his ability in this position means he could be a player to follow in the Spaniard’s footsteps.

Last season in Ligue 1, Pereira da Costa ranked in the top 24% for final third passes (3.07), top 21% for defensive third touches (7.41) and top 14% for goals and assists (0.36) per 90.

This suggests that the midfielder is not only keen to create chances in the final third for his team with his impressive passing ability, but is also not shy about dropping the ball deeper to get the ball into his own half before taking it on.

During the final years of his time at Arsenal, Cazorla went from being an impact player on the outside or just behind the striker to someone who could use his talents in the heart of midfield, using his impressive vision to pick out passes.

The Lens star is certainly an unheralded player in the French first division, and he might just be someone Arteta should keep an eye on for the next few months.

5

Ethan Nwaneri

Arsenal

Ethan Nwaneri is one of the brightest prospects to come out of Hale End’s academy in recent years, possibly since Bukayo Saka made his debut over five years ago.

He became the youngest player to make his Premier League debut against Brentford in 2022 aged just 15 years and 181 days.

In the 2023/24 campaign. The Englishman made just one appearance and it was clear that Arteta wanted to manage the hype and expectations surrounding his development.

With injury problems in his squad, the manager has now turned Nwaneri on 18 occasions so far this season, with the 17-year-old even managing to score five goals in the process.

Despite his tender years, the youngster has shown plenty of Cazorla-like attributes. Firstly, this term saw him operate in three positions: attacking midfield, right wing and central midfield – three areas where the Spaniard had such an impact.

Second, when called up to the Premier League, Nwaneri is already performing to a high standard across a range of metrics.

At the time of writing, he has an average 93% success ratealong with completing 70% of his dribble attempts and a goal conversion rate of 33% – impressive for someone so young.

If Nwaneri can continue to gain experience in all three of his positions in the coming months, Arteta might just have Cazorla 2.0 already in his first-team squad.