In stark contrast to this time last international break, the mood around Arsenal is incredibly positive.
Mikel Arteta’s side are unbeaten in the Champions League, and more importantly than that, sit atop the Premier League table a point clear of Liverpool.
Moreover, it’s not as if the Gunners have ground their way to the top, as they have not only conceded fewer goals but also scored one more than the Reds.
Mikel Arteta has his side playing fun, exciting football. Yet, even though you might expect Martin Odegaard or Eberechi Eze to be their most creative players, it’s someone else who holds that title at the moment – someone far more surprising.
Odegaard vs Eze last season
Before getting to the player currently leading the team in a creative sense this season, it’s worth looking back at how the club’s chief creators got on last year.
Eze was still plying his trade with Crystal Palace at the time, and ended up having the season of his life, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists in 43 appearances.
In contrast, Odegaard was only able to amass a tally of six goals and 12 assists in 45 appearances for the Gunners, in a season in which some in the fan base felt like he underachieved.
However, when taking a look at their underlying numbers from last season, which midfielder ends up looking like the better creator?
Well, it might come as something of a surprise to many, given the way their respective campaigns were viewed, but when it comes to purely creative metrics, it’s the Norwegian who came out on top last year.
Progressive Passes
9.11
3.37
Progressive Carries
3.54
2.40
Expected Assists
0.25
0.16
Key Passes
2.36
2.01
Passes into the Final Third
4.61
1.70
Passes into the Penalty Area
2.85
1.35
Shot-Creating Actions
4.73
4.69
Goal-Creating Actions
0.69
0.35
Successful Take-Ons
0.95
2.33
For example, across all competitions, he performed better in various aspects, including progressive passes and carries, expected assists, passes into the penalty area, key passes, and more, all per 90.
Now, there are likely a couple of reasons why he performed so much better than the Englishman, such as the team they both played for and the fact that that Oliver Glasner relied on his former star to be more of a goalscorer. However, these numbers still prove Odegaard is a creative tour de force.
With all that said, neither he nor Eze top the list of creative Arsenal players this season.
Arsenal's most creative player this season
So, with Eze and Odegaard already out of the running, you might have expected Bukayo Saka to be Arsenal’s most creative player this season, or maybe even Noni Madueke before he went down injured.
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However, you’d once again be wrong. Moreover, even though Declan Rice tops the list for chances created in the Premier League, that is primarily down to his set-pieces.
With all that said, who has been Arteta’s chief creator this season?
Surprisingly, it’s been Jurrien Timber, who, according to Squawka, has created the most chances from open play in the entire team this season, clocking up eight chances at the time of writing.
The Gunners’ “game-changing signing,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, has been exactly that so far this season, marrying his most monstrous defensive displays with this newfound creativity.
Perhaps the best display of this came in the game against Newcastle United, as he not only kept the Toon quiet on his side of the pitch but also continuously got forward to help create chances for his team.
It’s not just the eye test where the Dutchman impresses, though, as his underlying numbers really help to demonstrate just how complete he is as a player.
Goals
0.34
Top 2%
Goals + Assists
0.52
Top 2%
Non-Penalty Goals
0.34
Top 2%
xG: Expected Goals
0.31
Top 2%
npxG: Non-Penalty xG
0.31
Top 2%
Progressive Passes
6.38
Top 2%
Shots on Target
0.86
Top 2%
Passes into Penalty Area
2.07
Top 2%
Through Balls
0.86
Top 2%
Shot-Creating Actions
3.28
Top 2%
SCA (Shot)
0.69
Top 2%
GCA (Shot)
0.17
Top 2%
GCA (Fouls Drawn)
0.17
Top 2%
Tackles Won
2.41
Top 2%
Tackles (Mid 3rd)
1.55
Top 2%
Tackles (Att 3rd)
1.03
Top 2%
Tkl+Int
5.34
Top 2%
Touches (Att 3rd)
23.10
Top 2%
Penalty Kicks Won
0.17
Top 2%
According to FBref, he sits in the top 2% of full-backs in the Premier League for actual and expected non-penalty goals, shot-creating actions, progressive passes and tackles, the top 7% for total shots and pass completion, the top 11% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, even though he doesn’t get quite as much attention as some of the other stars in the team, Timber is undoubtedly one of Arsenal’s most important and now creative players.