He Shoots, He Scores: How Well Would Buying Barcelona's Pedro Work Out For Arsenal?

The Spanish gem currently being courted by Arsenal and Liverpool.

Could it be? The Telegraph have recently announced/speculated on Arsenal opening talks to sign Pedro Eliezer Rodriguez Ledesma, simply known as 'Pedro' for some inexplicable reason. The Barcelona winger/striker is apparently also being courted by Liverpool, although according to the Telegraph Arsenal are favourites due to their 'financial resources'. Some might doubt that finance will come into it; Arsenal have demonstrated in recent time that they can beat Liverpool to players, such as Alexi Sanchez. That said, Soccerlens have also chipped in, claiming that Pedro is more interested in Liverpool's offer as they seek to replace Raheem Sterling.


Where Pedro goes of course could end up being defining for either Liverpool or Arsenal; Pedro is consistently shuffled out of favour in the Barcelona sides, with players like Alexi Sanchez and Suarez both brought in by Barcelona in recent years to directly compete for Pedro's position as well as a . Of course eventually this worked; Pedro was shuffled out for the (for some reason) preferred attacking trio of Neymar, Suarez and Messi.

This shouldn't take away from the fact that Pedro is a very talented attacking player; so two footed he could put one foot on the other leg and be unaffected, such a talented finisher under Guardiola that his scoring rate was almost 1 for every 2 games from the wing. In one of his first El Classicos against Real Madrid, Madrid were strangely dominant for a time. 1-0 Down, Madrid were pushing for an equaliser, were well in the game. And then this happened: Xavi receives the ball in midfield; Pedro moves like a dynamo, bouncing forward, back, forward. He makes his move, Xavi plays a pass that has Madrid's defence reeling, and Pedro finished like he has been a striker his entire life.

Pedro opens the scoring against Madrid in another Classico.

Over the entirety of his career Pedro has an average scoring rate of just under a goal every three games; a goal every 3.24 games to be exact. Whether you think that this ratio has arguably been inflated by playing for the best team on the planet for many years there are some additional facts to add. Firstly, this is a better scoring rate then Eden Hazard over his career who scores a goal every 3.61 games. Ignoring the phenomenons that are Messi and Ronaldo, this makes Pedro one of the best goalscoring wingers out there, even with him constantly being shuffled out of the first eleven thanks to Barcelona's need for all the shiny new strikers and wingers.

Added to his not inconsiderable assisting stats and you have one of those players that should be on every big club's shopping list, but isn't by virtue of being stuck behind three of the biggest players in world football. A club giving him a chance to breathe may well find some of the world class that Barcelona have been so willing to try and replace.