Arsenal are preparing for their biggest transfer window in the history of the club. The Gunners are expected to offload the team’s underperforming stars which will make up space in the first team for new players. Along with focusing on the attacking areas, Arsenal must prioritise their defence as the backline has often been not up to the levels required. The same applies to the fullbacks who have been way too inconsistent for a club expected to challenge for the title.
The club are close to signing Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer this summer after beating competition from Chelsea and AC Milan.
Kolasinac is a Bosnian international and plays as the left back for both club and country. He is one of the most sought after defenders in Europe as fellow Premier League sides Chelsea and Liverpool were eager to add him to their squad. Jürgen Klopp is keen to add a left-back in the summer but Arsenal are in pole position to land the 23-year old.
Kolasinac has played 32 games this season and has 3 goals and 7 assists to his name. In total, he has appeared 117 times for Schalke despite his relatively young age. That could help him settle at Arsenal considering the style of play in the Bundesliga isn’t too different from the Premier League.
Arsenal have struggled with their full-back options a lot this campaign. Hector Bellerin looks completely out of sorts after going off the boil recently while Nacho Monreal is having a bad season. Kieran Gibbs has shown glimpses of his talent but hasn’t gone on to the next level with the Gunners. He cannot be trusted to play for the entire season which makes Kolasinac a perfect candidate for the left-back slot.
More than that, the club has fullbacks in their ranks who predominantly like to burst forward instead of first concentrating on their basic job. Kolasinac is a traditional defender and is one of the strongest fullbacks in Europe currently. He can hold off the ball and is brilliant in one on one situations. With 2.7 tackles and 3.3 interceptions per game, the 23-year old is definitely one of the best in the business who still has his best years ahead of him.
His defensive qualities often undermine his talent offensively. He is a brilliant crosser of the ball and can provide an outlet for a crosser when needed. But more importantly, Kolasinac has the awareness to track back quickly with his positional sense being better than the Arsenal’s current crop of fullbacks.
His tough style of play and physical presence makes him a perfect fit for the Premier League. He is still relatively young and will be good value for money which Arsene Wenger and Arsenal dearly love. Kolasinac has all the tricks in the box to become a future star and Arsenal must not lose out on him.
Stats via Whoscored.com