An aggressive, no-nonsense defender who is strong and quick with great tackling skills is exactly what many Arsenal fans believe Wenger has been missing-arguably since the era of ”The Invincibles”.
All qualities are perfectly embodied in Sead Kolasinac. The ”Bosnian Hulk” as he is fondly called-obviously due to his physique-will be one of the left-back defenders to beat next season.
Physical, physical
His good tackling skills and interception rate were very effective for Schalke last season.
It was evident in the game he played against Hamburg, where he made a whooping total of 12 interceptions; a statistics not matched by any other player in Europe’s top 5 leagues.
His statistics in that aspect was even better than that of Arsenal’s leftback defenders Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs. The 24-year-old won more tackles on average per game (2.0 and more interceptions per game (3.2) than the duo.
Creative and versatile
His level of creativity also fits into Arsenal’s new 3-4-2-1 formation-if used by Wenger next season. Last season, he provided 5 assists-the joint-most in Bundesliga with Markus Suttner, and even one more than the world-class David Alaba.
While he can play in the left-back position, he can also be used in the defensive midfield and centre-back positions.
A signing for the present and future
With Gibbs being more consistently inconsistent and Monreal past his best days, Kolasinac is definitely a signing for the present and the future.
In a crazy transfer window where Manchester City bought Kyle Walker for about £50m, signing Sead Kolasinac, a 24-year old versatile defender for zero amount may well be one of the smartest moves made by Arsene Wenger in recent transfer windows.
A ”Hulk” of a bargain, you might want to say.
Written by Adesuyi Adeola Ade Bob
Follow Adesuyi on Twitter @VoiceOfAdeBob
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