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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Arthur Masuaku has signed a new contract at West Ham United.
The Hammers left-back has committed himself to another five years at the London Stadium after a season in which he emerged as the club’s go-to left-back.
He was not ever-present in the Premier League but he made a total of 23 appearances in the top-flight and played every minute of the club’s final five games; the Irons lost just one of those outings.
Masuaku is 25 and is approaching his peak, having enjoyed a superb season in 2018/19.
In his 23 outings, per WhoScored, Masuaku averaged 2.5 tackles per game. That’s exceptional for a player who has to combine attacking thrust with defensive assiduity.
Add to that his 1.6 interceptions per game and the picture looks a little clearer; the left-back is equally at home in possession as he is out of it.
Indeed, his 0.6 key passes per game does not appear all that impressive on the face of it but it suggests that he will be creating a goalscoring opportunity at least once every two games; no mean feat for a defender. His 1.6 dribbles per game is exceptional, too, as he routinely looks to carry the ball up the left flank.
Masuaku also averaged 38.3 passes per game at an accuracy of 83.3%, with 2.2 long balls included.
The DR Congo international makes 2.4 clearances per game and, while he could be better at winning the ball back – he is dribbled past 1.1 times in each match – this is a supremely talented defender.
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Indeed, sources at West Ham have confirmed that Manuel Pellegrini believes that Masuaku has all the talent required to be the club’s first-choice full-back for the next few seasons and is delighted he has penned new terms.
Having signed a new deal, one feels that Masuaku will only improve as his playing time continues to grow.
In 2019/20, he is likely to be placed ahead of Aaron Cresswell in the club’s pecking order and it makes sense; he was excellent last season and can surely pick up where he left off next term.
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