Arsenal have finally announced the signing of tough Bosnian left-back Sead Kolasinac from Schalke on a free transfer. Though it’s been rumoured that the Gunners were going to prove their ambition by spending large sums of money this summer, Kolasinac provides the north London side with exactly what they have needed: a player that will strike fear into opponents.
Kolasinac is a tough-talking, strong, hard-nosed defender with an upper body that makes him look more like an American Football player than a wing-back. Arsenal have not had a player similar to Kolasinac in those departments since Patrick Vieira.
Given the fact that Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal underwhelmed when playing in both the 4-2-3-1 and 3-4-3 systems, Kolasinac should get into the first XI immediately.
The signing of Granit Xhaka last summer was a start, but the Bosnian comes to the Premier League without the heavy reputation the Swiss midfielder arrived with.
In April, Watford FC forward Troy Deeney knocked the toughness of the Arsenal team, and it seems as though Arsene Wenger took his comments to heart by acting quickly to snap up the new signing.
When you play against Arsenal there’s no fear. When you play against a tough centre-half like Bailly you think, ‘he’s going to give me a whack!’
As a result of tedious sifting through Kolasinac’s YouTube highlight videos, it appears that he is going to be the guy to give Deeney a whack next time Watford come to the Emirates Stadium.
In addition to his toughness defensively, the man known as Seo had as many assists as Gibbs and Monreal had in the league combined last season, showing that he will be an upgrade going forward.
The signing of Kolasinac looks to be a great one. He hasn’t even stepped on the pitch yet, but his mean streak and hard tackles will certainly make teams afraid to attack Arsenal’s left side.
The real kicker is that he only picked up five yellow cards in 25 Bundesliga appearances last season, which is not too bad considering the fire he plays with during each match.
With Rob Holding signing for a fee of just £2m and Kolasinac joining for free, Wenger knows a bargain defender when he sees one.
