ASK any Arsenal back in the Autumn of 2018 what positions would be top of their transfer wishlist for the coming summer, and ‘a new left-back’ would have been high on almost every agenda. However, just a few months on, their need doesn’t feel quite so pressing.
That’s in large part due to the excellent form of Sead Kolasinac, who has overcome a challenging first season in English football to cement his place in the Arsenal XI.
At the end of the last summer, the situation appeared pretty worrying. Nacho Monreal appeared to be physically waning, and despite being eight years younger Kolasinac also appeared to be well off the pace. He looked like he was made out of steel, but looked like he was trying to run through wet concrete.
Absolutely no coincidence that as soon as Iwobi and Mkhitaryan are on, Kolasinac gets an assist.
— gunnerblog (@gunnerblog) March 14, 2019
There was also a worrying lack of youthful alternatives within the squad. Arsenal have quite the academy production line, but in recent seasons there haven’t been too many prospects at left-back. Ainsley Maitland-Niles can play there if pushed, but he looks significantly more comfortable on the right.
It became such a problem for their academy teams that they brought in Cohen Bramall from non-league side Hednesford Town back in January 2017 just to provide an option. Perhaps understandably, the youngster has since struggled with the step up.
It appeared that a new left-back at Arsenal was simply a question of ‘when’, not ‘if’. However, two things have occurred since then to change things. The first factor is Unai Emery’s somewhat surprising willingness to use a back three.
When he arrived from Paris Saint-Germain it was expected he would stick rigidly to the back four that served him well in both France and Spain. However, after casting his eye over Arsenal’s squad, he decided that the Gunners would be well served by deploying wing-backs in a substantial amount of games. That effectively created an opportunity for Kolasinac to stake his claim—and he delivered.
An interesting stat I can across:-
Bellerin and Kolasinac both have 5 assists to their name in the premier league having played 19 and 18 matches respectively.
Both are in the top 5 assists list by defenders this season.
Imagine if both remained fit throughout the season.. pic.twitter.com/QkKg2puESW— P™ (@Cechque) March 24, 2019
However, the second shifting factor here is that Kolasinac has recently shown himself to be very surprisingly adept at playing in a back four. Perhaps as a consequence of increased fitness and confidence, he no longer looks a defensive liability, and is managing to prove effective at both ends of the pitch.
Going forward, he has been a revelation. The power and timing of Kolasinac’s runs make him almost impossible to defend against, and his delivery in the final third has become very consistent. According to PremierLeague.com, Kolasinac has created 10 big chances (resulting in five assists) in open play. Among full-backs, only Andy Robertson of Liverpool has provided more goalscoring opportunities.
Monreal no longer looks like a player who can be asked to play three times a week. However, Kolasinac’s form has largely meant he hasn’t had to. His contract was due to expire at the end of this season, but there have been numerous reports suggesting that Arsenal have taken up the option to extend it by a further year. Although the club have not yet confirmed the deal, their decision would suggest they believe he has considerable value to add next season.
Bukayo Saka may have made some eye-catching cameos as a forward, but he also has experience as a left wing-back and could follow the Ashley Cole path of being repurposed as a defender. Zech Medley is an elegant ball-playing centre-half who looks pretty comfortable at left-back, while Arsenal also have former Barcelona academy star Joel Lopez making a good impression at youth level. There is hope internally that he could one day emulate Hector Bellerin by making the grade in the first-team.
Barcelona have an agreement with Benfica that they’d gain 15% of any future transfer for Grimaldo.
Several top clubs are interested in the 23-year old left back, including Juve, Man City, Atletico and Arsenal. [md] pic.twitter.com/HbHRcZFvoL
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 25, 2019
There are attractive names out there. Arsenal have long been linked with Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell, but his development into an England starter might place him out of the Gunners’ price-range. Perhaps Kieran Tierney of Celtic might prove a more realistic target.
However, Arsenal also urgently require signings in other areas of the squad. A centre-half is, as ever, the priority. However, they’re also likely to need to replace the departing duo of Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck. Throw in the possibility of requiring a deputy for Bellerin and a new sub goalkeeper, and the list begins to look alarmingly long.
Perhaps a left-back isn’t so crucial after all. If Kolasinac can continue his recent form, Monreal and the group of youngsters might well be enough cover to see the Gunners through to 2020.
