The transfer window is slowly closing and teams looking to strengthen their squads have until the 31st of August to do any last minute business. After their 8-2 defeat to Manchester United it would be no surprise to see Arsenal bring in one or two new players before the window slams shut.
One player that should be on Arsenal’s radar is Sochaux midfielder Marvin Martin. The 23-year old French international impressed last season and established himself as one of the best passers in Ligue 1, and possibly even Europe.
Ending the season with an incredible 19 assists is practically unheard of in any league and it led Martin to a call up for Laurent Blanc's national side and a growing reputation throughout Europe. It’s hard to pin-point Martin’s best position, able to play on the left or the right he is more comfortable in the centre of midfield but he can also play behind the forwards or in a more defensive role.
During Sochaux’s run to a fantastic fifth placed finish in France, it was the passing of Marvin Martin that led to Brown Ideye and Modibo Maiga finishing with 15 goals each. Along with the 19 assists, he showed his range of passing and proved dangerous from various positions.
With a pass completion rate of 82% he constantly found his target, however he didn’t resort to the easy pass. On average he managed 3.5 accurate long balls and 1.6 accurate crosses per game alongside an average of 0.3 accurate through balls per game, showing that Martin will try a whole range of passes to find his recipient.
Over the season Martin picked up three WhoScored.com Man of the Match awards and it was easy to see why. He led Sochaux in passes per game (45.4) and his rating of 7.28 last season wasn’t just the best for his team but was the 4th highest rating in France.
He finished ahead of Gervinho (7.22) and not far behind Moussa Sow (7.3) and Eden Hazard (7.35), giving an indication of the quality that Martin possesses.
One shouldn’t be led into thinking that passing is the only impressive string to the Frenchman’s bow as he is a very versatile player. When asked, he can track back and tackle, averaging 1.6 successful tackles per game but he only picked up 6 yellow cards in his 37 appearances and only averaged 1.1 fouls per game. He is not afraid to get involved and will track back and help the defence out.
He tends not to dazzle the crowds with mazy runs, averaging only 0.8 successful dribbles per game, though he will always endeavour to find the right pass and keep the game going. As a creative midfielder, often players get caught in possession but Martin finished the season with only 1.8 dispossessions per game, lower than his teammates Ideye, Maiga and Boudebouz.
Along with his 19 assists, Martin managed to scored three goals, it seems a low number for the midfielder but he did manage to get shots off on goal and the potential to score goals is there. Strikers Ideye and Maiga averaged 2.1 and 2.0 shots per game and scored 15 goals each. Martin managed 1.5 shots per game throughout the season, third behind the two strikers and as he showed in his French debut against Ukraine, when he wants to, he can find the net. There is the potential for Martin to achieve at least ten goals per season and at only 23, there is time for this part of his game to improve.
The rumours around Marvin Martin have continued all summer, he looked to be on his way out of the Stade Auguste Bonal when he said he would welcome a move from one of France’s bigger teams but with complete respect to his team he has started the season as good as he finished the last.
On Thursday night Sochaux lost 4-0 to Metalist Kharkiv in the second leg of the Europa League play-off round. This made the final score 4-0 and Sochaux did not make the group stage. This could be the catalyst to spark the latest rumour that Martin could be on his way.
Whether he stays at Sochaux for another year, moves to another French side or comes across the channel to a team in England it goes without saying that Martin will give 100% for whatever team he is playing for. Laurent Blanc warned the young French players that if they are not playing football they will not be in the Euro 2012 23-man squad. With Marvin’s talent it would be a shock if he wasn’t in the squad come next summer.
