Arsenal Eye Germany International As Arteta Replacement - Player Report

With the Daily Mail suggesting that Lars Bender is being lined up as Miekl Arteta's long term replacement, I thought that I would take a look at the Germany international and give you a glimpse into his career.

Type Of Player

Labelled as the next Steven Gerrard on many occasion, Bender is a central midfielder who can adapt to many different roles. He has a certain amount of aggression when he's off the ball which enhances his game, but he's also proved to be a decent player when striding forward.

He is an imposing player who has a huge amount of energy and his tactical awareness is second-to-none.

History

The 24-year-old has 163 Bayer Leverkusen appearances under his belt and is now one of the first names on the team sheet. This season is his fifth at the club and I expect he will be there for as long as they are challenging for the a spot in the top two.

This Season

From his 17 games this season Bender has a 79% pass completion, has won 56% of his headed duels and has been the winner in 87% of his individual dribbles. He has also made 10 key passes and scored twice.

Verdict

Bender is an incredible player - there will be few who argue that point that have seen him play. He is a slightly more dynamic player than Arteta but would certainly improve the Arsenal side.