Arsenal fight Chelsea and Spurs for left-sided Ben White

Robin Bairner

• 26 Dec 2024 14:48 GMT
• 10 min read

Arsenal’s search for a left-back will see them battle Chelsea and Tottenham to sign one of the brightest up-and-coming players in that position in Europe.

Club Brugge’s Maxim De Cuyper has come into the viewfinder of Mikel Arteta’s side, who are seeking cover in that area of the park as Kieran Tierney is set to depart the club either in January or at the end of the season, when his contract expires.

The Gunners face competition from their London Premier League rivals Chelsea and Tottenham for the 24-year-old, according to CaughtOffside. The three clubs have all reportedly sent scouts to watch the Belgium international while Manchester City and Nottingham Forest both have interest in the player.

Arsenal, meanwhile, lead the chase for the player, yet Arteta will struggle to land him during January because De Cuyper wants to remain with Club Brugge until the end of the season.

Current ETV

Maxim De Cuyper

D (RL)

Brugge

Maxim De Cuyper

D (RL)

Brugge

€9.5M

ETV Range

€7.1M - €11.9M

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De Cuypers: An attack-minded full-back

Arsenal have enjoyed great success down the right with Ben White in that area of the park, and according to data analytics firm SciSports, there is a strong resemblance in style between the former Brighton star and De Cuyper.

But while the two players are similar in terms of their playing styles, they have differing strengths.

De Cuyper vs Ben White: Style comparison

De Cuyper vs Jupiler Pro League full-backs: 2024/25

De Cuyper is a more attack-minded full-back. He gets forward regularly for Club Brugge, making high numbers of passes into the final third, crosses and overlapping runs. Like White, meanwhile, he likes to carry the ball.

Last season, he hit an impressive 10 assists with Brugge in the Jupiler Pro League, while in the previous campaign he scored nine and generated five decisive passes.

Although SciSports rate him as the third-best wing-back in Belgium this season, his attacking numbers have not been nearly so prolific, with just one goal and one assist.