With Matthias Ginter reportedly a transfer target for Arsenal, we take a deeper look at what kind of player Arsenal could be getting.

Currently with Borussia Dortmund, Matthias Ginter established himself as a first team regular under Thomas Tuchel. With Tuchel getting sacked, the new manager Peter Bosz still hasn’t decided if he wants to keep him and might be willing to sell if the right bid comes in. So say reports, at least.

Ginter came through the youth setup at Freiburg before he eventually broke into the first team in 2011/12. He went on to make 81 appearances for the club.

In the summer of 2014 Borussia Dortmund came knocking and the young German made a move to Signal Iduna Park for €10million.

After a period of adjustment, he finally sealed his place in the first team squad and has so far made 102 appearances for the club, scoring four goals and making 12 assists.

Strengths

The 23-year-old is mostly hailed for his versatility and great tactical understanding of the game. He isn’t a natural defender and is closer to the position of a defensive midfielder, but throughout his career he was often made to cover other positions and he did so like a natural. He’s played as a right-back, central midfielder, even as a right midfielder, but has finally found his place in the middle of the defence.

Ginter could be described as a ball playing defender as he has very good passing abilities (87.1% successful passes per-game) and most of Borussia Dortmund’s attacks are started from his position.

His height make him a serious aerial threat and on average he wins three aerial duels per-game. Ginter’s tactical awareness helps him make interceptions before the ball even makes it to the dangerous area of the pitch and he makes an average 1.4 interceptions combined with 2.5 clearances per match.

Weakness

There are no significant weaknesses in Ginter’s playing style although he could improve his tackling a bit more and build up a bit more muscle mass to gain more physical strength.

His lack confidence was also a bit of a problem in his earlier years but the player looks better with every passing week and doesn’t seem to have too much trouble in the psychological department.

What can he bring to Arsenal

The first thing Ginter could bring to Arsenal is his ability to pick a pass forward. His management of the ball is great – he can keep possession, doesn’t crack when put under pressure, and can split the opposing defence open with a single pass.

He is mainly a ball playing defender that commits more to the teams ability to build up attack than he does to defence. But that’s not to undermine his defensive ability, he does have important skills and experience at the highest level offering a good base for further development. He has proven his worth and although he isn’t at the level of a Laurent Koscielny, he could perform very well alongside him, while also learning and improving.

Matthias Ginter is believed to be priced at around £10-15million, and with his ability and age that’s not that big price to pay.

If he came to the Premier League it would likely take him some time to adapt, but once he makes it through that period, just like he did it in Borussia Dortmund, he could become a key player at Arsenal.