Who is PSV winger and long-term Arsenal target Noa Lang? | OneFootball

Highlights

Premier League clubs are always on the lookout for the best talent in Europe, and Noa Lang has a perfect opportunity to show he belongs in that bracket this season as he faces Arsenal, Sevilla and Lens in the Champions League group stages. The Dutch winger has found himself on the radar of some big clubs in Europe over the past couple of years, and got a big move to PSV from Club Brugge in summer 2023 for a fee worth €15 million (£13m).

Having spent a long time in the youth ranks of both Feyenoord and Ajax, he made his senior debut for the latter in 2019 after being a consistent member of the Dutch youth set-up. Lang scored a hat-trick in Ajax's 5-2 win over FC Twente in December 2019, becoming the first player in 60 years to do so in their first league start. Having spent the remainder of the 2019/20 season on loan at the club he scored that hat-trick against, the forward moved to Belgium on loan with Club Brugge.

He impressed in this spell, enough so to make the move permanent the following year after helping secure the league title as a big part of the first-team. Lang went on to spend a further two seasons in the Belgian Pro League before sealing his aforementioned move back to the Netherlands to play for PSV Eindhoven, although Premier League sides will likely be keeping an eye on the progress of the 24-year-old.

While speculation surrounding his future has understandably gone quiet in recent months following his recent transfer, Lang was said to have been lined up by West Ham around this time last year, per Calcio Mercato.

Lang also claimed that Arsenal had identified him to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang according to Het Laatste Nieuws via TeamTalk as he said: “Because one of them only really left at the last minute [Aubameyang], they wanted to hire someone quickly. But that was no longer possible.” While the deal didn't transpire, it says a lot that Mikel Arteta may have been keen on working with the Dutchman, and even more complimentary that he could be seen as an ideal fit to replace a player of the calibre of the Gabon forward.

Leeds also confirmed interest from then-Premier League side Leeds United, stating: "They were concrete, yes. Leeds made three offers. We even negotiated – they flew to the Netherlands."

Statistics

In the 2022/23 season, Lang was a regular player in the Club Brugge team before sealing his big move back to his homeland. Playing 28 league games, the 24-year-old found the back of the net on eight occasions, which is a decent return without being sensational. The Bruges club had a poor season by their recent standards in the Pro League as they were only able to finish fourth, 16 points adrift of the top of the table.

They did however, impress many in the group stages of the Champions League as they qualified for the round of 16, although Lang missed the opening two group matches, and saw his side fail to score in the two games he did actually start. He did feature in both legs of the loss to Benfica in the next round but disappointingly, ended the competition with no goal contributions. It shows there is room for improvement, with his natural ability requiring the right team and manager around him to get the best out of Lang.

Noa Lang Statistics - 2022/23 (Via Transfermarkt)

Style of play

The Dutch winger is a high-energy player that certainly isn't short on confidence - both on and off the pitch. Being a creative force from out wide in the early years of his career, Lang is a player that can get fans off their seats in excitement, which is a quality becoming more rare within the game. His ability to keep the ball close to his body when dribbling makes it very difficult for opposition full-backs to deal with the wide midfielder.

Not only can he run with the ball to cause headaches for opposing players, he can also go on the outside and look to get a cross into the box on his left foot, while being just as comfortable cutting inside and getting a pass or shot off. Being capable of using either foot is one of the ways Lang remains unpredictable on the pitch, while his movement into central positions creates panic in defenders that don't know whether to follow him and vacate their position or allow him space.

Lang's agent - Bart Baving - is definitely a very good mouthpiece for his client and gave his thoughts on the winger as he told Calciomercato in 2021: “Noa is Noa, he has always had this type of playing style. He always works hard and has excellent technique, dribbling and vision. He is also an excellent decision maker and a neat finisher. He is also a generous player, anything but selfish."

After giving his own high praise of his client, Baving went on to share the thoughts of others as he claimed: "I’ve heard a lot of people say he looks like Neymar, especially after the PSG match," with these comments coming after a clash between PSG and Club Brugge in the Champions League. Being compared to the former Barcelona man is almost the highest praise possible with Neymar being considered by many as one of the top players of his generation.

Wages and contract information

PSV announced the signing of Lang from Club Brugge in July 2023 on a five-year contract, meaning the deal will keep him with the Dutch side until the summer of 2028. There are no details currently on the wages he will earn during that period of time, although it can be assumed that the winger will have earned a pay rise from his most recent Club Brugge contract.

Per Capology, Lang earned a modest weekly wage of just £2,497 in his final season with the Belgian club. In the modern game, this is a lot less than many players at his level receive, meaning a future move to the Premier League could prove to be extremely lucrative.

Premier League move

After a move to PSV in the summer of 2023, it is likely that it will take at least 12 months for another move to transpire. Premier League clubs have the financial power to make such a transfer happen, so should Lang impress while back in the Eredivisie, a move to England could definitely be back on the cards. The Champions League, meanwhile, allows Lang a shop window to impress, directly against one of his former suitors in Arsenal. Compelling performances in Europe's most elite tournament would surely tempt the Gunners, amongst other sides, into reigniting their interest.