Why this young centre-back with a 93% pass accuracy is perfect for Arsenal

Stefano Denswil

Ajax are no strangers to developing young talent, in fact, they pride themselves on creating players from their unique youth system, which moulds them into footballers that suit the club’s traditional 4-3-3 system.

One of the latest youngsters to come into Frank De Boer’s side is centre-back Stefano Denswil, who has profited from Toby Alderweireld’s transfer to Atletico Madrid. He came into the side following the transfer and after the frantic 3-3 draw with Heerenveen at the end of August. Barring a drubbing at the hands of rivals PSV Eindhoven, he has steadied the ship alongside the imperious Niklas Moisander at the heart of the Ajax back four.

Denswil is now the second highest ranked player at Ajax by Squawka with a Performance Score of 258, behind Moisander, despite having a handicap of playing four less games than his other teammates. He has brought with him a presence and a calmness on the ball which they could have done with against Heerenveen and in the loss against AZ Alkmaar earlier this season.

Since his arrival in the Ajax team, no player in Europe has completed more passes (572) which is not only a testament to the way he has been brought up in Ajax’s academy but to his maturity at the tender age of 20 as well. Denswil is by no means your classic centre-back as he loves to start attacks from the back. His pass completion rate of 93% further shows he has potential to become a top-class ball-playing defender.

Stefano Denswil Passes

In his first four appearances, he was led by the more experienced Moisander but when the Finn got injured in the Champions League tie against AC Milan, De Boer was left extremely short in the centre-half department. Mike Van der Hoorn was brought in, which forced the younger but more established Denswil to lead Ajax’s backline and he did so with expertise in the remainder of the Milan game and in the next league game against FC Utrecht.

He was named in the Champions League Team of the week as he held the Ajax team together against the Italians, showing off his expert positioning whilst making four last-ditch clearances and two successful tackles inside his own area. Denswil even managed to score the late equaliser which grabbed them their first point in the competition this season. His 95% pass completion rate helped calm the Dutch sides nerves even further, making his terrific individual display the major reason behind the point they picked up.

Stefano Denswil Tackles Won v Milan

Denswil continued this incredible form against FC Utrecht. The game, which ended 3-0 to Ajax, may have been much less of a challenge than the one against Milan but this gulf only served to emphasise Denswil’s undoubted class even further. He completed the most passes in the Eredivisie that week (106), with 93% of them finding a teammate. Denswil maintained his position on the left-hand side of the centre-back pairing expertly as Ajax limited Utrecht to just one shot on target.

Stefano Denswil Passes vs Uterecht

The 20-year-old would be a great possible target for Arsenal, who are struggling for decent cover for star pairing Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. With Thomas Vermaelen struggling for form, the signing of Denswil would give Arsene Wenger added options to choose from. Not only does the Dutchman have great potential but he would not suffer by beginning his time at the Emirates on the bench and playing against players such as Mesut Ozil on a daily basis would no doubt aid his development. Whether Ajax will want to sell Denswil so early into his career is another story as they usually wait until their players have been established first-team players for at least two seasons.