According to recent transfer reports, Arsenal are looking into the possibility of signing Gaetan Laborde from Bordeaux.
Overview
Gaetan Laborde is seen as a potential second striking option for Arsene Wenger.
The 23-year-old currently plays for Girondins Bordeaux and has a contract with the club until 2020.
Last season was Laborde’s first full season at Bordeaux and the player established himself as a first team option for the manager Jocelyn Gourvennec.
The player made a total of 42 appearances, scoring 13 goals and adding five assists across the three competitions.
The French forward has spent his whole career in Bordeaux, playing for the club’s youth teams and developing his skills and abilities on multiple loans to lower tier clubs.
Style and strengths
Laborde is a hard working centre forward and he contributes to his team in both the attacking and defensive phase.
He can often be seen leading the transition from defence to attack, taking the ball from deep inside his own half to start counter-attacking moves. Laborde often drifts wide in search of space and the opportunity to focus the opposition’s attentions on him, allowing his teammates to exploit the space left behind.
His main strengths are dribbling and the ability to find himself in the right place at the right time. With his first touch he often takes opposition by surprise which allows him to gain extra space before making a dribble or taking a shot. He is also very unselfish and will look to make a pass if a teammate is in a much better position.
He creates 0.81 chances and 0.67 key passes per game, and has a take on success rate of 56.60% on average. Due to his lack of first team experience in the highest tier of French football, he still has plenty of progress to make, and the playmaking forward will only improve in his ability to set up a goal or score one himself.
The 23-year-old has very good vision and doesn’t hesitate to take shot from range if he notices the goalkeeper isn’t well positioned. From the 1.59 shots he makes in a game, 0.53 come from outside of the penalty box.
Weaknesses
His main weakness comes from a lack of experience at the highest level. The player has just recently got the chance to make an impact in the Bordeaux first team after a series of loans to lower tier French clubs.
Chances for the 23-year-old look to have come rather late, but he is justifying the faith that has been shown in him and he is slowly putting his mark on Gouvernnec’s side.
With just a 67% successful pass rate in a game, he should put additional work in this area, but the low number of successful passes also stems from attempts to deliver the ball into a dangerous area where there are lots of opposition defenders.
How he’d fit at Arsenal
Gaetan Laborde is still some way from the ability of Alexandre Lacazette, the forward likely to sign for Arsenal soon.
Due to his lack of experience and not yet establishing himself as a proven goalscorer on the biggest stage, he would certainly have some trouble breaking into Arsenal’s first team squad and would most likely to serve as a squad player, a role perhaps similar to that of Lucas ‘what was the point’ Perez.
Liverpool have also been mentioned as holding an interest in the player but both Premier League clubs don’t seem to be particularly determined to sign the 23-year-old Frenchman.
Although Laborde wouldn’t demand a very high transfer fee, he doesn’t seem to be a signing Arsenal need, especially if they plan to mount a serious title challenge next season.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe and Alexandre Lacazette would be much more sound recruits and Arsenal should chase those kinds of players instead.
Goals, assists & skills
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asuT2O8xqfw