Player Focus: Aránguiz Acquisition Would Provide Leverkusen with Alternate Midfield Threat

Charles Aránguiz stepped up to take his penalty in the Copa America final. Gonzalo Higuain had just blazed over for Argentina and, if the midfielder scored, Chile would be firmly in the driving seat to secure international glory. La Roja’s number 20 calmly strode up to the spot, stuttered his run and coolly slotted underneath Manchester United newboy Sergio Romero. The shootout will forever be remembered as being won by Alexis Sanchez and his daring Panenka, but Aránguiz’s calmness at such a key moment was crucial. It came after the Chilean was awarded the WhoScored man of the match award in the final with a rating of 8.36. 

It was a competition to remember for the Internacional midfielder, whose WhoScored rating (7.50) saw him gain a place in the team of the tournament. An impressive 2014 World Cup saw him linked with a big money switch to Europe last summer and while no move came to fruition, Aránguiz’s form at Chile 2015 was expected to signal a scramble for his signature. Only compatriot Jorge Valdívia (16) played more key passes than Aránguiz (14) at the Copa America, while a handful of players were directly involved in more goals than the 26-year-old (3) at the tournament. 

Reports on Monday, however, suggested Bayer Leverkusen had won the race to secure Aránguiz’s services after the player and club agreed personal terms, though no confirmation has yet been announced. Following the departures of Stefan Reinartz and Gonzalo Castro, coupled with Simon Rolfes’ retirement, Roger Schmidt’s side required investment, particularly in midfield. 

Coupled with Christoph Kramer’s return following his loan spell with Gladbach, Schmidt’s midfield options in his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation would improve significantly with Aránguiz’s arrival. With captain Lars Bender also an option in the double-pivot, Leverkusen’s aim in the upcoming campaign should be a top-3 finish. Key to that coming to fruition could be the Chilean.  

Bender is expected to start for Bayer in the midfield, so it comes down to who partners him in the middle of the park. If it's a battle between Kramer and Aránguiz, it’s a selection headache that Schmidt would welcome next season given their commitments in Europe. Both players are tidy performers on the ball and are more than capable of retaining possession to a very high standard. In the Bundesliga last season, Kramer maintained a commendable 87.2% pass success rate from his 58.3 passes per game. This ability to successfully recycle possession will benefit a Leverkusen side that has developed a statistically calculated WhoScored weakness of ‘keeping possession of the ball’. 

Aránguiz, though, held onto the ball to a slightly higher standard at the recent Copa America, with 89.8% of his 60.7 attempted passes per game successfully finding a teammate. While a much smaller sample size, this still highlights how impressive Charles was when it came to ensuring Chile dominated proceedings on home turf. The hosts averaged more possession (68.3%) than any other team at the tournament, which ultimately contributed to their success. However, using a larger sample from Aránguiz’s performances during the 2014 Brasileirao season, his figures fell. Of an average 48.3 passes per game, the Chile international enjoyed a pass success rate of 86.2%, not a return to be scoffed at, but still a drop nonetheless. 

Off the ball, Kramer was a more consistent performer, averaging more tackles (3.3 to Aránguiz’s 2.6 in the 2014 Brasileirao) and interceptions (2.4 to 1) per game. However, while Kramer was a more consistent performer when in possession in the respective league seasons, it’s fair to assume that was down to Aránguiz being more daring when his team pushed forward. An average of 1.6 key passes per game for Internacional was double Kramer’s return (0.8) in the Bundesliga and reinforces the Chilean’s WhoScored strength of ‘key passes’. 

The South American's tendency to look to be more penetrative when on the ball would provide Schmidt with an alternative creative option in midfield. Having averaged an impressive 1.7 successful dribbles per game, Kramer is able to carry possession forward to help link the midfield and the attack, but in Aránguiz; Schmidt has a performer capable of unlocking defences from a deeper position. Moreover, Aránguiz’s versatility means he could in fact play in the offensive trio behind striker Stefan Kießling. This would then allow Schmidt to play both Kramer and Aránguiz and ease the burden on Hakan Calhanoglu in the number 10 role.

Given the teams linked with a move for the Chilean, his impending capture will be quite the coup for the Bundesliga outfit. Arsenal and Chelsea were both credited with an interest in the Internacional midfielder and his performances for club and country suggest he would improve the Premier League giants. Their loss, though, is Leverkusen’s gain. 

As he proved at the Copa America, Aránguiz thrives when under pressure and his calmness in possession would only benefit his new team. His eye for a defence splitting pass would allow Heung-Min Son and Karim Bellerabi - two players able to provide a goalscoring threat by running in behind the backline from wide - to flourish, thus improving Leverkusen’s chances of securing a top-3 finish. If Aránguiz's Chile 2015 performances were anything to go by, Leverkusen have secured themselves one of the most exciting South American players in football

Do you think Arsenal and Chelsea will rue missing out on Charles Aránguiz should be move to Leverkusen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below