IN Christian Norgaard, Arsenal have landed themselves yet another “duel monster”.
The Brentford midfielder, 31, has completed his summer switch to the Gunners for £15million, including add-ons, on a two-year deal with the option of a further 12 months.
Among other areas, the midfield is one that boss Mikel Arteta was desperate to bolster following the free-agent departures of Thomas Partey and Jorginho.
Arteta has done just that – complimenting the £51m signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad with the arrival of experienced anchor Norgaard from the Bees.
Not only does Norgaard provide guaranteed Prem quality, the 6ft1 Dane also adds height, power and aerial supremacy to a squad of physical giants who have dominated set-pieces in the top flight over the past few seasons.
When Arteta signed 6ft2 Mikel Merino from Sociedad last summer for £31.6m, the Spaniard came with the reputation of a “duel monster” – winning more duels than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues.
In his first game in charge in December 2019, more than half of Arteta’s starting XI were under six feet tall.
Now, with Norgaard, they could boast an XI with NINE players who are six feet or taller.
Upon signing, Merino joked that the Arsenal squad was more like a “basketball team” because of their sheer size, going on to score 21 goals from set-pieces, excluding penalties, last term.
Arteta said: “[Norgaard] Is a strong midfielder with excellent tactical awareness and versatility. He also has physical presence and intelligence which will give us added depth and balance.”
And the stats show just what Arsenal will be getting with another colossal in their midfield.
For Brentford last season, Norgaard averaged 2.7 aerial duels per 90 minutes. In comparison, Partey – who is 6ft1 – averaged just 1.8, and Jorginho only 1.
Norgaard averaged 1.6 successful tackles from 2.5 tackle attempts per game. Partey averaged 1.7 from 2.9 tackles per game, and Jorginho only 0.5 from 1.5 tackles.
And despite picking up eight yellow cards from 34 Prem appearances last term – compared to Partey’s four from 35 and Jorginho’s five from 15 – Norgaard conceded less fouls per 90 [1.4] than Partey [1.5] and Jorginho [1.9].
Ironically, two of those yellow cards came against Arsenal home and away – the second for a nasty tackle on Gabriel Martinelli that many believed was worthy of a red.
But it is in attack where Norgaard could prove to be a crucial weapon for Arteta and Arsenal, even if he is coming off the bench with the starting midfield three likely to be Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.
In Brentford’s first ever game in the top flight in August 2021, Norgaard scored a header against Arteta’s side from a long throw in a 2-0 home win – a set-piece move that Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has worked to improve over the past few years.
And he will play a big role in Arsenal’s set-piece antics going forward. Last term, Norgaard notched five Prem goals and four assists – his best return in England – with three of them being headed goals.
One of the ‘best defensive midfielders’
Norgaard said: “I started as a more offensive player and now I’m a bit more of a holding midfielder.
“It’s important for me that a team has a good defensive structure and hopefully I can contribute to that.
“Then coming off a season where I’ve had a lot of goal involvements, it’s something I really hope I can take into this season as well.
“I don’t know what the gaffer’s plans are with me, but hopefully I can also have some freedom to join the offensive play.”
Ex-Brentford boss Thomas Frank coached Norgaard as a 15-year-old at Danish side Lyngby, and claimed last season he was one of the “best defensive midfielders in the Prem”, despite being a “late bloomer”.
Late bloomer or not, Arsenal now have a player at the peak of his powers.
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