A series of statistics, highlighting the stellar endeavours of Ajax star Lisandro Martinez this past season, have come to the fore on Sunday.
Stopper Martinez, of course, has been hotly tipped for a Premier League switch of late.
Amid the ongoing efforts of both Arsenal and Manchester United to reinforce their respective backlines ahead of the new campaign, the two giants of English football are understood to have identified the Argentine international as a priority target.
The former, in fact, have scheduled a fresh round of talks with their Ajax counterparts for this coming week, amid claims of a hefty €50 million price-tag being placed on Martinez’s head.
🚨 Arsenal scheduled to meet Ajax next week as Lisandro Martinez battle continues. #AFC + #MUFC both think he’s keen & personal terms no issue. If Ajax get what they want (~€50m fixed), 24yo must pick. Ten Hag factor key but race still open @TheAthleticUK https://t.co/aqnwpOK3yH
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 2, 2022
Why, though, is the 24-year-old in such high demand?
Martinez stood as one of the Eredivisie’s standout defenders over the course of the last couple of seasons, with his combination of versatility, aggression in the tackle and technical ability all highly sought after in the modern game.
Such characteristics, meanwhile, were on full display in the Dutch top-flight last time out, when Martinez featured in 24 of Ajax’s 34 fixtures.
And now, as alluded to above, an insight into the exact statistics behind the Argentine’s campaign has been provided.
The info comes courtesy of statistician ‘Statman Dave’, highlighting the extent to which Martinez excelled in the fields of all of passing, tackling and take-ons:
Lisandro Martinez’s 21/22 Eredivisie season by numbers [24 games]:
1,746 passes completed
89% pass accuracy
86% tackle success
83% take-on success
79 aerial duels won
66 clearances
48 tackles won
46 interceptions
25 blocks
17 chances created
15 take-ons completedHe’s good… 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/h2XPGMKstD
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) July 3, 2022
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