With the purchase of Auxerre defender Bacary Sagna,
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has secured the services of a gifted
French international who can play all across the
back-line.
However, with Sagna usually employed as a right-back, Wenger now
has quite of collection of right-fulls at his disposal, which
leaves Gunners fans wondering just how the French manager plans to
keep all his defenders happy.
In comparing the performances of Sagna last season in Ligue 1 with
those of Arsenal's current right-backs, Emmanuel Eboue and Justin
Hoyte in the Premier League, it is the Englishman who rather
surprisingly comes out on top in a number of categories.
Hoyte was the only one of the three to manage a league goal last
season while he also registered the best passing accuracy and
tackle success rates.
However, despite his goal, scored against Charlton at the Emirates
last season, Hoyte has not been as eager to push on as Sagna and
Eboue, with Eboue embarking on the most dribbles and runs and Sagna
whipping in the most crosses with the best accuracy rate.
Sagna also provided an impressive five goal assists compared to
Eboue's four while Hoyte failed to set up a single goal.
The fact that both Eboue and Hoyte have recently signed new
long-terms deals suggests that Wenger intends to utilise all three
right-fulls in the coming season, despite the growing rumours
linking Hoyte with a move to Reading.
However, for another Gunners' right full-back, Kerrea Gilbert, who
spent last season on loan at Cardiff City, the future is even less
certain. Although he featured for Arsenal in their traditional
pre-season friendly against Barnet on Saturday, the youngster may
well be on the move as Bacary Sagna's arrival shakes up WengerÂ’s
defensive options.