One Arsenal star named in WhoScored’s statistical TOTS but it’s not Aubameyang

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Arsenal have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to thank for not finishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table. The Gabon international’s 22 goals this season helped the Gunners end up in eighth place in what was a truly disappointing season.

The Gunners parted ways with Unai Emery in November after a torrid start to the campaign. Freddie Ljungberg was at the helm for about a month before Mikel Arteta was brought in to steady the ship.

The Spaniard could take Arsenal only as far as eighth but it could have been a lot worse. Aubameyang will likely win Arsenal’s Player of the Season award but his performance this season wasn’t good enough to make it into WhoScored‘s Team of the Season. One Arsenal player, however, made it.

Is Leno more important to Arsenal than Aubameyang?

Arsenal only scored 56 goals in the league this season, 22 of them came from Aubameyang. The Gunners skipper is viewed by many as the club’s most important player but statistically, Bernd Leno is more integral.

The German, in his 30 games this season, made 110 saves in the Premier League and boasted of a save percentage of over 77%. (Fbref)

Arsenal’s defensive frailties are known to one and all and despite that, the Gunners have conceded only 48 goals all season. Leno’s performances are the biggest reason why that number isn’t at least 20 more which shows that he is just as integral to the side as Aubameyang, if not more.

Leno made it on to the Team of the Season despite missing the final eight games of the season. The German’s performances this term are nothing short of excellent but his path back to being Arsenal’s number one is a difficult one.

Emiliano Martinez has exceeded expectations and if he continues with his form, he will likely retain his spot in the starting eleven. That would leave Leno on the bench which would be a real shame after his exceptional season.

That could cause a few problems in the transfer window for Arsenal. Neither goalkeeper will be prepared to stay on the bench for a long time which would force Arsenal to part ways with at least one of them, something that they would rather not do in an ideal world.