Arsenal made their first raid into the summer transfer market earlier this week by acquiring defender Sead Kolasinac from German outfit Schalke 04.
Arriving in north London on a free transfer, the 23-year-old reckons his versatility will be key in light of Arsene Wenger’s decision to switch to a 3-4-2-1 formation in the latter stages of 2016/17:
“There are different positions, but I think left-back is where I feel most comfortable. I can play as part of a three at the back too, or further forward. I’m really flexible”.
And the Gunners boss was quick to back his new acquisition adjusting to the English top-flight:
“He’s very compact as a player, very strong and determined in the challenges. He’s good in the air as well, so overall I believe he has all the attributes to adapt to English football. The game here is very demanding physically on the commitment front and he has the ingredients to adapt to that.”
The History
Born in Karlsruhe, Kolasinac joined his home-town club aged eight, before stints in the youth set-ups at 1899 Hoffenheim, Stuttgart and Schalke 04.
Promoted to the Schalke first XI in 2012, he managed just one goal and three assists in 69 appearances in his first four seasons in the Bundesliga. Last term, however, Kolasinac was utilised as both a full-back and a wing-back and went on to produce three goals and five assists in 25 league outings.
On the international scene, Kolasinac made his debut for Bosnia – his parents’ homeland – in 2013, and has since been selected on 17 occasions.
The Prospects
Handily, Wenger also went on to inform the club’s official website of his plans for the new boy next season:
“What he will give us is the fact that he’s a player who can give assists, who can go forward, who can contribute good crosses. It’s very important that we have that as well, because we have Kieran Gibbs, we have Nacho Monreal and we have him. But Nacho plays a lot now in central defence and in a three-man system I see him in there. So overall, I think [Kolasinac] can contribute a lot to help us to be more dangerous going forward.”
Having won eight of their nine matches – including an FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea – when operating with the 3-4-2-1 system, there’s every chance that Arsenal will continue with the same tactics in the initial stages, at least.
As evidenced by the likes of Marcos Alonso and Kyle Walker last season, the recent trend of wing-backs is ideal for Fantasy Premier League managers on the look-out for attack-minded defenders.
Set to be listed as a defender across the Fantasy games, Kolasinac boasts the output to suggest that he could be the next in line to benefit. A starting price of 6.0 is expected, though, with Chelsea’s Alonso likely to come in around the 7.0-mark, that could still represent strong value for money.
Among the Arsenal contingent, a switch to the three-man backline for Monreal could be bad news for Rob Holding’s pitch-time, with Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny surely likely starters. The Frenchman is suspended for the first two Gameweeks, however.
And if Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain claims the right wing-back berth ahead of Hector Bellerin, then Kolasinac would essentially be the only out of position Arsenal defender on offer next term.
With Gibbs linked with a switch away, Monreal’s attacking numbers illustrate just why Wenger has made the move – Kolasinac averaged a key pass every 90 minutes last season compared with the Spaniard’s 262.8. Tellingly, in 36 appearances Monreal made just six successful crosses in the previous campaign.
In terms of goal threat, there’s no doubt that an average of 121.7 minutes per attempt needs to be improved, although it’s worth bearing in mind that only 13 of Kolasinac’s 24 league starts were as a wing-back in 2016/17.
While his impact in the final third is the main headline here, the Bosnian international’s defensive displays could help improve a Gunners rearguard that managed just 13 clean sheets in 2016/17. He made more successful tackles (69) than any Schalke player and placed second when it came to interceptions (81).
Meanwhile, his frequency of successful tackles (30 minutes to Monreal’s 50) was far superior, while he was very similar to the Spaniard for minutes per clearance, block and interception (CBI) by 14.8 minutes to 14.5.
The Gunners’ failure to clinch a top four spot could also be to our advantage. Should Wenger prioritise the league and rotate his regulars around Europa League fixtures instead, then Kolasinac has all the ingredients to suggest that he could be the next wing-back to find a place in our squads.
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