Tag Archives: Sead Kolasinac

Arsene Wenger surprised everybody with his team selection for the Middlesbrough game, as the man often describe as stubborn and a tactical dinosaur made major changes to his side and altered his formation majorly.

For the first time in two decades, Arsenal adopted a make-shift three-man defensive line consisting of Laurent Koscielny, Gabriel Paulista and Rob Holding, utilising Nacho Monreal and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as wing backs.

Whilst there were some defensive frailties shown, the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil performed well, leading some to suggest that the Gunners to adopt this formation more regularly in the future.

It certainly needs some work but Chelsea have shown this season that a three-man defence can work well, whilst Juventus have demonstrated similarly on the continent as they push for success in the Champions League.

With a few tweaks and summer additions, Arsenal’s new-look XI could launch an impressive assault for glory next season and it could work whether Arsene Wenger or someone else is in charge.

GK: Jordan Pickford

Arsenal are reportedly looking to shake up their options between the sticks this summer, with Petr Cech failing to impress, and not getting any younger, whilst David Ospina seems increasingly likely to leave the Emirates Stadium in the summer.

Wojciech Szczesny is also likely to leave, having spent two successful seasons on-loan with Roma, and Jordan Pickford has been identified as the ideal target- and he could excel in North London, developing into the Gunners first-choice stopper and learning from the extremely experienced Cech.

Whilst Arsenal might be having managerial problems, they are also having some consistent problems on the pitch. With the end of the season approaching, Arsenal cannot afford to dither in the market and allow rivals to sign quality talent ahead of them. It seems that despite all the noise around Wenger’s future, he and the club have already managed to sign a very highly rated Bundesliga talent…

Left-back has been an area of concern all season, with the previously consistent Nacho Monreal falling out of form. Kieran Gibbs, Arsenal’s current backup option also hasn’t managed to offer much in terms of quality and I am sure that a new left back will have been high on the wish list for many fans this summer. It seems Arsenal may have already bagged a top talent in this position. With Schalke defender Sead Kolasinac’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, many of Europe’s top clubs have been lining up to agree a pre-contract deal with him. Arsenal appear to have won that race, with Juventus and Everton amongst the clubs who reportedly missed out.

Kolasinac is considered to be a very good player at both ends of the pitch. Defensively he is solid and known for his good tackling. He stands at over 6ft and is good in aerial duels, a rare trait for a full back and something Arsenal need. He has averaged 2.9 tackles, 2.1 clearances and 3.6 interceptions per 90 minutes this season – a very impressive set of defensive statistics.

In an attacking sense he’s scored 3 goals and assisted 5 in 21 Bundesliga appearances this season, a phenomenal return for a full-back.

Another poor performance from Monreal against Middlesbrough just fueled the fans thirst for a new left back. Here’s some reaction to the Kolasinac news…

Cant wait for Kolasinac.
Cant watch Monreal anymore, he'll be a terrible wing back

— Römeo (@Arsenal490304) April 17, 2017

Can't wait till Monreal is sold this summer. Main man Kolašinac coming next season

— Najyah (@ClassicArsxnal) April 17, 2017

Kolasinac wouldn't have let Downing cross

— renato (@rehnato) April 17, 2017

It's a shame he can't make overlapping runs, too old and immobile for that. Kolasinac would offer us a great improvement in that aspect. https://t.co/4RXO9H3ygb

— M'A8 (@mezzalaEN) April 17, 2017

Kolasinac is a decent signing for Arsenal. Huge improvement on Monreal

— ryan (@KeenanAndKeI) April 14, 2017

In my opinion this is a really good signing for Arsenal. Wenger showed he could switch to a wing back system in the game against Middlesbrough, and Kolasinac would thrive in such a system. You can see from the goals and assists he’s produced this season that Kolasinac has the potential to tt

Arsenal’s managerial uncertainty hasn’t stopped them making moves in the transfer market, with the latest reports suggesting that the Gunners are closing in on the signing of a new left-back.

Left-back is certainly one of many areas where Arsenal will be looking to improve over the summer and Schalke full-back Sead Kolasinac could be set to join the club for free, with Goal reporting that the Gunners are confident of landing the Bosnian defender.

The 23-year-old is primarily a left-back, but can also fill in as a central defender or in defensive midfield, so his versatility will certainly be attractive. Juventus are one of a number of top clubs that have been linked with a move for Kolasinac, whose contract expires at the end of the season.

Arsenal and other foreign clubs will have been allowed to negotiate a pre-contract with the player since January due to the Bosman rule.

Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal have struggled to consistently convince in the left-back role, and it has been a long time since either put in a memorable attacking or defensive performance. Gibbs is one of a number of squad players that could be set to leave the club in the summer. He has been at the club for some time now but with just one year remaining on his contract and the player not able to hold down a

Gibbs is one of a number of squad players that could be set to leave Arsenal in the summer. He has been at the club for some time now but with just one year remaining on his contract and the player not able to hold down a first-team spot, he could be allowed to leave should a suitable offer arrive.

How good is he?

The calibre of club showing an interest in Kolasinac show that he is a very talented player. Is he what Arsenal need?

Despite being just 23, Kolasinac has been an ever-present in the Schalke XI for some time, making over 100 senior appearances for the club. Kolasinac is considered to be a very good player at both ends of the pitch. Defensively he is solid and known for his good tackling. He stands at over 6ft and is good in aerial duels, a rare trait for a full back and something Arsenal

Kolasinac is considered to be a very good player at both ends of the pitch. Defensively he is solid and known for his good tackling. He stands at over 6ft and is good in aerial duels, a rare trait for a full back and something Arsenal need. He has averaged 2.9 tackles, 2.1 clearances and 3.6 interceptions per 90 minutes this season - a very impressive set of defensive statistics.

In an attacking sense he’s scored 3 goals and assisted 5 in 21 Bundesliga appearances this season, a phenomenal return for a full-back.

He’s nowhere near the speed of Hector Bellerin, but he is deceptively quick for a man of his size and strength - from what I’ve seen he is quicker than Arsenal’s current first choice left back, Monreal.

Of course as a free signing there is little risk involved here and the Gunners could even sign another left back on top of Kolasinac if they wanted to replace both Monreal and Gibbs. The Gunners need to invest a lot of money in their team this summer and the chance to make a first team improvement for free would be brilliant.

Arsenal are set to battle it out with Juventus for Schalke 04 left-back Sead Kolasinac, with the Bosnian’s contract expiring in June.

Schalke have tried and failed to land the 23-year-old on a new deal and he looks destined to leave the Die Königsblauen, whether that be this month or in the summer.

Schalke seem unwilling to sell their man half way through the season, but face the dilemma of losing their player for free in the summer if they do not sell this month.

Juventus are also huge admirers and have reportedly already sent in a bid to the German club, but according to reports, Arsenal have now entered the fray for Kolasinac.

Schalke continue to publicly say that the player will not leave this month, meaning that Arsenal could sign him for free on a pre-contract, should negotiations go well.

Kolasinac has been with the Germans for five years and has played 81 league games for the club thus far scoring three goals. Although he was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, he opted to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina and has since gone on to be capped 17 times.

Italian giants, Juventus are likely to lose Patrice Evra this month and will be in the market for a new left-back despite today announcing the signing of Mattia Caldara and the Gunners look to strengthen their left-back position after unconvincing performances from Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs thus far this season.

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With Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs fighting for the number one spot in the starting XI, the arrival of Kolasinac could see one of the Arsenal men shipped out, with the likelihood of the latter leaving the Gunners.

We take a look at how Kolasinac compares to the Arsenal men this season.

Playing in the defence, one of the main traits each player must carry is the amount of tackles they win, and the Schalke man certainly impresses in this area winning 1.97 tackles per 90 minutes thus far this season with Monreal in second with 1.44 and Gibbs last 0.85.

Another key asset to a defenders game is the amount of aerial duels they win, and standing at 6ft it is not surprising the powerful Kolasinac has managed to win 63.04% of his aerial duels which again puts him ahead of the Gunners men, with Gibbs and Monreal both trailing on 45% and 39.68% respectively.

Playing for the Gunners, you have to share and adapt to their identity which they have built on over the years, that being efficient, free-flowing beautiful possession based football, something the club has been praised with heavily over the years. It is not surprising that Monreal and Gibbs are not separable in this area, both managing 83% pass completion which puts them both ahead of Kolasinac who managed 70%, which is impressive but could certainly be worked on.

The Schalke man impresses with a number of total duels he has won per 90 minutes thus far this season, managing to win a total of 51.49% in the 11 Bundesliga games he has played, which is superior to both Monreal and Gibbs with the former managing 40.96% and the latter 39.53%.

The Bosnian international is a forward-thinking full-back who is eager to push on and help the attack whilst remaining strong in his defensive duties, utilising his pace for good recovery mode too. The stats above prove he would be an top signing for the Gunners and would certainly have a chance of starting.