Summary Arsenal missed out on Serge Gnabry's potential, but they could have a second chance with Ansu Fati if they pursue the reported transfer target. Barcelona is demanding a high fee of around £90m for Fati, but Arsenal's Edu will try to negotiate a lower price. Fati has shown promise with his goal-scoring and creative abilities, and with his youth and similarities to Gnabry, he could be a valuable asset for Arsenal's future.
Arsenal have endured some notorious transfer gaffes across their illustrious history, but few stand out more than their failure to see the potential of Serge Gnabry.
Is Ansu Fati leaving Barcelona?
The German was allowed to leave back in 2016, dismissed by the club and many others to be destined for an underwhelming career. Naturally, he has since proven them terribly wrong.
Despite that, the Gunners could be set to get a second chance on such a deal, should they turn one reported transfer target into a reality.
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Having been linked just late last week, the suggestion they could move for Ansu Fati would offer Mikel Arteta a stunning compatriot to take under his wing and mould in his image. The Spain international has all the talent in the world and could be set to finally realise it at the Emirates.
Despite that, Barcelona are reportedly commanding a ludicrous fee of around £90m for his services, which Edu will seek to reduce considerably if they are to thrash out a move.
How many career goals does Ansu Fati have?
There are many attributes in the 20-year-old's game that liken him to Gnabry, which FBref serve to emphasise. They even include the Bayern Munich star on Fati's 'similar players' list, with their shared goal threat a huge factor in drawing them closer.
The 28-year-old has gone on to feature 218 times for the Bavarian giants, accumulating an admirable 132 goal contributions and winning five Bundesliga titles alongside his sole Champions League.
Meanwhile, his potential successor has only made 109 first-team appearances for the Catalan outfit, scoring 29 times and assisting a further ten. Given his youth, this does mark a surprisingly fine return, even with injuries recently stunting his progress.
Despite that, he did manage to maintain 51 appearances across all competitions last season, scoring seven in the league alone.
Such an ability to create and score from the flank, plus his desperation to invert from the left onto his favoured right foot, does seek to narrow the gap between Fati and Gnabry.
After all, the former could seek to emulate the fine career that the latter has enjoyed, whilst Arteta could do what Arsene Wenger could not and mould the trickster into his own special star rather than allowing him to slip through their grasp.
Teammate Eric Garcia has earmarked his compatriot for success in the present and the future, noting: "Ansu is one of these players who are born with this talent and this magic. I hope they respect his injuries, because in 20 minutes he has shown what he can help this team."
OneVersusOne perfectly sums up the key areas that truly link these wingers together, as they both star with regard to key passes per 90 (0.74 v 0.77), assists per 90 (0.13 v 0.12), pass interceptions per 90 (2.31 v 2.3) and expected goals per 90 (0.5 v 0.55).
They both pose consistent threats, but with Fati eight years Gnabry's junior, he is the one now set to start for the foreseeable future.
Given the project being built in north London, there is arguably no better place in Europe to hone his skills, exorcising the clubs' demons of the past by finally nurturing a young wide man who bares striking similarities to the star they failed.
