10 Things Arsenal Fans Need To Know About Alexis Sanchez

3. He's Statistically Better Than Oliver Giroud

Adam Davy/PA Archive/Press Association ImagesAdam Davy/PA Archive/Press Association ImagesWith Arsenal boasting only limited striking options with just Lukas Podolski and Oliver Giroud as their recognised forwards, signing a new striker this summer was imperative for Arsene Wenger. But how does Alexis Sanchez statistically compare to the Gunners's current attackers? The stats show that Sanchez is far more a prolific goalscorer than Giroud. At this summer's World Cup, Giroud only scored one goal to Sanchez's two, while the Chilean had a much better conversion rate of 1 in 3.5 compared to Giroud's 1 in 7. Despite making fewer appearances at the finals than Giroud, with Sanchez playing four times to the Frenchman's five, Sanchez had a far better show accuracy - 57.1% to Giroud's 28.6%. According to Squawka Stats, Sanchez also created more chance for Barcelona last season than Podolski managed for Arsenal, with the Chile star creating 47 to the German's meagre 8. Podolski boasted a better shooting and passing accuracy however, and made 14 fewer appearances than Sanchez. Still, the statistics show that Arsenal are taking the right steps in improving their attack force, having received criticism for failing to replace Robin van Persie following his move to Manchester United in 2012.
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Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.