Should Arsenal target Real Betis midfielder Alvaro Vadillo?

Elie Baup knew his Marseille side were in for a tough time at The Emirates. After all, the French side had lost all four of its group fixtures leading up to this game. What he didn’t know, however, was how soon his men would end up on the ropes in the game. As it turned out, after just one minute–barely after the game’s kick-off – Jack Wilshere scored a delightful goal to put the Gunners 1-0 up. In the blink of an eye, four straight losses was looking set to become five.

With no equaliser forthcoming after almost 60 minutes, Baup decided he had to do something. On 57 minutes, he made a double substitution: on came Mathieu Valbuena and No.14, young Florian Thauvin. The latter, although he didn’t score, made quite a difference. The two shots he had well-saved by Wojciech Szczesny was the most of any Marseille player on the night, and were the club’s best chances. Baup wanted him to change the game, and that he did. He is a very highly-rated player, and that 33-minute cameo showed precisely why.

But Arsene Wenger wasn’t caught off guard. He knew all about him well beforehand. In fact, if he had his way, he could’ve lined up for Arsenal against Marseille. “It was a surprise transfer for me,” he said before the game regarding Thauvin signing for Lille from Bastia back in January. “We were following him and were interested in him before he joined Lille. He is one of the big prospects of French football.”

But Wenger’s interest hasn’t waned despite missing out on him. He conceded that he is looking on to see how he develops in the years to come. In the meantime, however, he is eyeing up another starlet, according to The Metro. He is Real Betis’Alvaro Vadillo. Like Thauvin, Vadillo is an attacking midfielder, and like the Frenchman, he is very highly regarded in his country. What would no doubt please Wenger is the fact that Vadillo would be interested in a move to North London – even as early as in January. But would that be a wise move?

With a Performance Score of -124 points, he is actually Betis’ worst player so far this season as the club struggles in La Liga, languishing at the foot of the table with just nine points from 14 games. In truth, it has been difficult for him to produce his best form in the league under such trying circumstances. But he has done better in the Europa League, however, even grabbing a goal as the club sits second in its group behind Lyon.

He has qualities like those of Thauvin: he is quite pacey and likes to get on the ball to take on opponents using his seemingly bottomless box of tricks. In La Liga, he has attempted an average of 4.9 take-ons per game, while in the Europa League, he is averaging 4.3 per game thus far.

But he lacks end product, however. A key reason for this is his inability to hold on to the ball. He has completed just 27% of his take-ons in the league and 38% in the Europa League. What’s more, he has completed only 66% of his passes in both competitions. This is among the lowest completion rates in the side.

If he is to transition smoothly to a big club like Arsenal, he has to be more reliable in possession. More than being flashy on the ball, he has to be able to keep it in order to finish attacking moves after he or another team-mate starts them. It seems simple, but doing so would make all the difference, especially at a time when Betis are struggling and need someone to step up to the plate to pull them out of the hole they are in.

But one can reasonably argue that perhaps the current situation at Betis isn’t one that would benefit Vadillo’s development, and that at Arsenal, where Wenger places huge emphasis on giving youth a chance, he would be better off. But while the Gunners are better placed in their league, Vadillo would struggle for game time, given the amount of attacking midfielders already at the club. At least at Betis he is starting games, doing so on seven occasions already in the league. Needless to say, playing regularly, especially at his tender age of 19, is vital if he is to realise his huge potential.

Time and again, we’ve seen youngsters make poor career decisions due to being blinded by the ambition of playing for Europe’s elite clubs, much to their huge detriment. Indeed, the list is long and is getting longer with each passing transfer window. Vadillo must think carefully before he decides his next move, otherwise he risks becoming yet another footballing casualty.