After three seasons in North London, Alexander Hleb is off to Catalunya. Opta look at how the creative midfielder has done at Emirates Stadium and break down his stats.
Hleb arrived from Stuttgart in the summer of 2005. Since then, the 27-year-old Belarusian has played in numerous midfield positions, especially on the right wing.
Last season though, Hleb had more freedom to roam, generally playing in a more central position and regularly interacting with Cesc Fabregas.
His stats reflect that point, as Hleb set up six goals in the league last season, more than half his tally over the three years he spent at Arsenal. Who can forget his deft touch for Fabregas’ goal at Liverpool back in October 2007?
| Season | Games | Goals | Assists |
| 2005/06 | 25 | 3 | 0 |
| 2006/07 | 33 | 2 | 4 |
| 2007/08 | 31 | 2 | 6 |
| Total | 89 | 7 | 10 |
Hleb also netted the injury time winner against Fulham on the opening day of the campaign; a confidence booster which helped to contribute towards Arsenal’s great start to the season.
When it came to the crunch, Hleb did not particularly waste too many chances – a fact shown by his 13% conversion rate, which is above the league average. However, his critics will point the finger at his unwillingness to shoot. With only 15 shots all season, less than one every two games, the window for goals was significantly smaller – hence he scored only two goals in The Premier League last season.
| Arsenal in the league | With Hleb | Without Hleb |
| Win % | 54% | 60% |
| Goals/game | 1.70 | 1.86 |
His lack of goal scoring venom is also reflected in Arsenal’s general play. Over his three seasons, Arsenal scored on average more goals when Hleb was not on the pitch (1.86 against 1.70) while The Gunners also won a greater ratio of games without the Belarusian (60% against 54%). As he prepares to team up with his old Arsenal partner Thierry Henry at Barcelona, Hleb knows he has big challenge ahead of him – filling Ronaldinho’s boots.
Source:Setanta sports
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