Scouting Report: Should Arsenal Target Gianni Bruno Instead of Sardar Azmoun?
If Arsenal do not succeed in signing Rubin Kazan centre-forward Sardar Azmoun, a suggested alternative transfer target is Lille's Bastia loanee Gianni Bruno, so here is a scouting report on the 22-year-old Belgian No. 9.
Why Azmoun?
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger going against the grain when finding talent should come as no surprise.
Left-field transfers such as Jamaal Raage (Brommapojkarna, 2013), Joel Campbell (Saprissa, 2011), Samuel Galindo (Real America, 2010), Havard Nordtveit (Haugesund, 2007), Carlos Vela (Guadalajara, 2005), Gael Clichy (Cannes, 2003), Kolo Toure (Mimosas, 2002), Tomas Danilevicius (Lausanne, 2000) and Freddie Ljungberg (Halmstads, 1998) show Wenger's willingness to roll the dice.
The Azmoun link is concurrent with Wenger expanding his scouting zone to Russia having previously signed Kim Kallstrom on loan (Spartak Moscow, 2014) and Andrey Arshavin (FC Zenit, 2009).
Azmoun, Rubin's 19-year-old Iranian, revealed that AC Milan, Arsenal, Barcelona and Juventus are in contact with him, per Navad (h/t Sky Sports):
"I have offers from three major clubs: Arsenal, AC Milan and Juventus.
The talks with both Milan and Arsenal are getting very serious.
Both clubs have spoken to [Rubin] Kazan.
I'm very proud to have Arsenal looking at me but, as I said, right now I'm only focusing on the Russian league.
I also had an offer from Barcelona, but due to their transfer ban the club is out of the picture at the moment.
"
If Arsenal miss out on signing Azmoun, a transfer alternative is Bruno from Lille, currently on loan at Bastia, the club which sold Alex Song to the Gunners in 2006.
What Happened at Lille?
Bruno has scored one goal in 23 Ligue 1 games for Lille, which, at first sight, is an incompetent return.
But there are several mitigating factors.
- Of Bruno's 23 league games, he has only started three times.
- Moussa Sow, at the time the best centre-forward in Ligue 1 having scored 25 league goals the previous campaign, was the man.
- When Sow was sold to Fenerbahce, Lille already had a successor in Nolan Roux, the €8/£6.7 million-valued centre-forward from Brest, to step in.
- Bruno was also competing with Tulio De Melo.
- Last season, Salomon Kalou was shifted from a wide role into a central position, which further diminished Bruno's playing time.
Bruno's Upside
Bruno is excelling on loan at Bastia.
| League Only | Games Played | Starting % | Goals | Shots Per Goal |
Gianni Bruno | 25 | 56 | 7 | 4.7 |
Lukas Podolski | 15 | 60 | 4 | 5.8 |
Olivier Giroud | 31 | 100 | 13 | 7.5 |
Sardar Azmoun | 10 | 70 | 3 | 6.0 |
| 13 | 69.2 | 5 | 6.6 | |
Bruno's seven goals from 25 games is misleading since he has spent 44 percent of his playing time as an impact sub.
If he started every single game he was selected for and had taken the same amount of shots as Giroud (97) yet maintained a 4.7-shots-per-goal average, Bruno is projected to score 21 goals.
Bruno is a more efficient finisher, taking fewer shots per goal (4.7) this season than Podolski (5.8), Azmoun (6.0), Walcott (6.6) and Giroud (7.5).
What you like about Bruno is his competitiveness and the urgency he plays the game.
When he was tussling with Rennes centre-back Sylvain Armand, instead of diving to win a penalty, Bruno forced his way to the ball and lashed it past Rennes goalkeeper Benoit Costil.
That was a positive play.
A negative play was when Bruno crossed the line and assaulted Nice centre-back Nemanja Pejcinovic in Bastia's 1-0 win.
There is a Luis Suarez-type mentality in the 5'11" Bruno, who has been beaten 46 out of 55 times in the air, but has scored more headed goals (two) than Bordeaux's 6'5" centre-forward Cheick Diabate (zero).
Bruno keeps on plugging away against significantly taller and stronger centre-backs, like during Bastia's 2-2 draw against Saint-Etienne. Their two centre-backs, 6'2" Kurt Zouma and 6'5" Moustapha Bayal Sall, were fooled by Bruno's run into the box and he punished Saint-Etienne.
Bruno, a two-footed shooter, demonstrates his all-round attacking game.
Bruno can finish in one-on-one situations, as was the case when he slotted the ball past Reims keeper Kossi Agassa, one of the best shot-stoppers in Europe.
Or, Bruno can make a curled run behind Lorient centre-back Bruno Ecuele Manga and flawlessly volley the ball first-time past Lorient keeper Florent Chaigneau.
It was not the first time Manga, a strong ball-winning defender, was a victim of Bruno's brilliance, who pulled off a back-heel through ball to Bastia right attacking midfielder Milos Krasic in a previous fixture.
Bottom Line
If Arsenal are in talks with a raw prospect like Azmoun, the Gunners must consider signing Bruno as an alternative. This could be a perfect storm for Arsenal since Kalou and Roux are still blocking Bruno's path to being a starter at Lille.
Hypothetically speaking, if Kalou or Roux are out, 18-year-old Belgian youth international Divock Origi, who has been playing out wide, will be shifted centrally (he was a No. 9 in Lille's 1-0 win over Lorient).
In 2006, Lille let future world-class centre-back Dante leave for Charleroi. Four years later, Lille did not extend Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's loan into a permanent deal.
Bruno's performances for Bastia this season suggest his career may skyrocket like Aubameyang, who endured several setbacks before developing into an elite player.
Statistics via WhoScored.com
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