Is Santi Cazorla Worth £16 Million?

One transfer that's status is closely approaching inevitable is the saga of Santi Cazorla to Arsenal. The Llanera-born midfielder was bought back from Recreativo de Huelva to Villarreal for a fee of £700,000. He impressed for the Yellow Submarine in his first season, so much so that Real Madrid wanted him. He established himself as one of La Liga's most exciting players in the coming seasons, and he was rewarded with his first Spanish cap in 2008. His virtuoso performances made Villarreal a real force in Spain and also in Europe through their endeavours in the Champions League. Malaga, after a major cash injection from another Qatari, picked him up for £18 million in the 2011 transfer window. Surprisingly, Villarreal were relegated that year. Could this have been down to Cazorla's departure? Santi master minded Malaga to a 4th place finish, qualifying them for the Champions League next season. But controversy arose. Unpaid wages has put a dark cloud over the club and now Malaga has suddenly found themselves up for sale. Players are looking to leave Los Boqueneros and Santi Cazorla looks set to lead the exile. The fee reported for the purchase of the playmaker is between £15 and £18 million. But Is He Worth It?

Goals


Santi Cazorla hit 9 goals last season

Assists


Santi Cazorla made 5 assist last season

Key Passes


Santi Cazorla made 84 key passes last term

Successful Dribbles


Santi Cazorla made 49 dribbles last term

Dispossessed


Santi Cazorla was robbed of possession 92 times last season

Turnovers


Santi Cazorla gave away possession 57 times last season

Tackles


Santi Cazorla made 82 tackles last season.

Interceptions


Santi Cazorla made 99 interceptions last term

Long Balls


Santi Cazorla made 281 successful long balls out of an attempted 350


Whoscored Season Rating : 7.6


So, in conclusion

• Key Passes - With better forwards at Arsenal, Santi's key passes can be converted and increase his assist number
• Ball Retention - His ball retention is poor, needs to seriously improve for the Premier League
• Defensive Contribution - Excellent contribution defensively
• Goals - With 8 of them coming from free kicks, Arsenal will now have a set piece specialist in their ranks

Another trait to note is his versatility.

Position : Average rating

CDM - 7.33

MC - 7.68

AMR - 7.86

AMC - 7.98

AML - 7.3

MR - 7.75

This is very important asset to have. If injury strikes in the engine room, Arsenal will have a back up for each position in Santi Cazorla.

So, is he worth it? In my opinion, as an apparently utterly biased Arsenal fan, is that Cazorla is worth more than just £16 million. He was the best player in La Liga last season who wasn't playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona, the big two. His rating of 7.6 earned him a place in the La Liga Team Of The Year, and finished in 4th place in the Player Of The Year, behind Xavi, Ronaldo and  Messi. Should Arsenal snap him up for the reported price, they have bagged themselves a real coup.

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