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Who is Jesper Lindstrom? Profiling the great Dane linked with Arsenal and Liverpool
Danish forward Jesper Lindstrom is being strongly linked with a summer move to the Premier League, with Arsenal and Liverpool reportedly in the market for his signature.
FootballTransfers chief correspondent Jacque Talbot looks at the potential of the Eintracht Frankfurt star and assesses his strengths and weaknesses.
With the summer transfer window fast approaching, eyes are turning firmly towards foreign leagues with Premier League clubs keeping tabs on potential signings.
One name which has seemingly dropped out of nowhere is Eintracht Frankfurt starlet Jesper Lindstrom.
At 23 years old, the Danish attacker is now being linked with a move to Arsenal and Liverpool and it is easy to see why. He is a dynamic talent and one who would not break the bank if acquired by one of the domestic big guns.
How much would Jesper Lindstrom cost?
The Bundesliga side are said to want around €49million for his services, just two years after they bought him for only €7m from Brondby. Some whispers though suggest as little as €30million might be enough to close a deal.
When considering Lindstrom’s future it is also worth factoring in the wider situation at Eintracht.
For starters, they also have French forward Randal Kolo Muani in their ranks - it is thought he would fetch up to €100m on the open market and this would no doubt have a knock-on effect on the sales of their other players.
Swiss midfielder Djibril Sow meanwhile is another terrific talent linked with a move away from the German side, and they would not wish to lose that many players in one window.
One or maybe two could leave, but all three departing would be unthinkable.
When Lindstrom made his move to Germany in 2021, his xTV (Expected Transfer Value) was just €3.9m. By Christmas 2022 that had rocketed to €30m thanks to his stellar Bundesliga form, and it has since soared further still up to €37.1m.
A meteoric rise.
Playing style and strengths
Lindstrom acts as a wide playmaker, so he is regularly involved in possession with frequent reception in the right half-space.
This is typical for a right-sided No.10 playing in Oliver Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 system, where the wing-backs are deployed high up the pitch. With those areas occupied, this allows Lindstrom to drift inside and create chances from central areas.
The Dane frequently gets into great positions in the half-space and the final third. He is also good at dribbling - especially cutting inside and carrying the ball into the box.
Lindstrom is also a decent crosser of the ball, solid in pressing and adept at making recoveries in the final third.
But Lindstrom does not behave as an inside forward and this is worth remembering when you consider the clubs linked with him. Arsenal and Liverpool use more inside forwards in their systems, think Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah.
They also tend to play inverted wingers, so he only rates as a 1-star formation and playing style fit for both clubs, according to our data.
This does not mean Lindstrom cannot adapt to different systems, but he needs to score a lot more if he wants to play as the wide forward in a 4-3-3 for Liverpool or Arsenal.
He has just 9 goals in 31 games in all competitions so far in 2022-23.
Lindstrom could provide competition to Martin Odegaard and Fabio Viera for the attacking midfielder role at Arsenal, although there are question marks about whether he would excel in creating a high volume of defensive actions.
Jesper though does have a significant number of important positives. He is an expert at adapting his actions to suit the needs of the system - skilled at shifting lanes, dropping through lines and making runs into depth - all in service of his team’s gameplan.
His horizontal movement in rotation with others is remarkable, but what really sets him apart is the quality and intensity of his vertical runs. He has impeccable timing on this front and also happens to possess phenomenal straight-line speed.
Where Lindstrom must improve
Lindstrom, while full of tantalising potential, is not the completely finished article and there are areas in which he will need to improve.
Despite being aware of his surroundings, the Dane can be hesitant to move short - he prefers to trap the ball on the quarter-turn rather than the half-turn.
He tends to move towards the ball and close his body to kill it, rather than holding back his position and shaping his body with an open stance.
One factor which affects his decision making is how he handles pressure. He is very alert to his marker's whereabouts, but sometimes this can distract him.
In short we have a young player with terrific potential but also a few rough edges. One who will likely depart the Bundesliga this summer, assuming a club tables a suitable offer.
While those links to Arsenal and Liverpool are quite strong, Lindstrom does not shape up like a direct replacement for any of their current stars.
Instead he would be a new weapon who would play a key role in their offensive evolution.