At a Glance:
- Arsenal needs to look for fresh young talent
- Vasilije Kostov is a wonderkid midfielder that the Gunners are interested in signing
- Could play across the midfield, but might be placed into the Odegaard role long-term
Arsenal’s upcoming transfer window could see a myriad of ins and outs at the club, with an aging squad that is multiple years into its project needing a slight retool.
If the Gunners can win either, or both, of the Premier League and the Champions League, pressure to spend big on players will lessen, but Mikel Arteta will still want his squad strengthened regardless.
Atletico’s Julian Alvarez is one of the players that Arsenal have an eye on, with the club also eyeing up 19-year-old Bournemouth attacker Junior Kroupi. The Gunners are also interested in one project player who is not even an adult yet—Red Star Belgrade midfielder Vasilije Kostov.
Here is all you need to know about the Serbian wonderkid.
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Vasilije Kostov is one of Red Star Belgrade’s shining prospects
This past season, Red Star Belgrade sold Veljko Milosavljevic to Bournemouth for £13 million and Andrija Maksimovic to RB Leipzig for £12 million—and Vasilije Kostov could be the next export from the Serbian club to join a top-five league.
Currently valued at £15.5 million as per Transfermarkt, the teenager has played 32 times for his hometown club this season, and has scored 12 times while providing seven assists to his teammates at the time of writing.
47% of his career appearances have come as an attacking midfielder, and this is where his time with the senior team at Red Star has mostly been spent. However, he is also blessed with versatility, having also played on both wings, as a central midfielder, a defensive midfielder, and even in a number 9 role in the past couple of years.
This level of talent shown at such a young age has already culminated in an appearance for the Serbian national team, and should he fulfil his potential, there will be many more caps for him down the line.
His vision and technique have been noted to stand out versus other players his age, and he is an elite passer and chance creator within the Serbian Superliga, particularly when factoring in his age.
His 87.1% pass completion rate and 11 big chances created put him in the 96th percentile of all midfielders for both statistics within his domestic division, and he is the top-ranked player in the league for crosses with 48—indicating he can drift wide, too.
His defending is also strong, as he ranks within the top three percent of Superliga players for both interceptions and recoveries.
This shows he is a player who could play within a box-to-box role or, frankly, anywhere across the midfield, but where would he slot into Arsenal’s team?
Where would Vasilije Kostov play as an Arsenal player?
Although Vasilije Kostov would be fit to play in Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, or Martin Zubimendi’s role at Arsenal, it is most likely that Arteta would look to him as a long-term replacement for Odegaard as the right-hand side, progressive 8.
Odegaard’s struggles with injuries and with playing positive football have left a sour taste in Arsenal fans’ mouths, and some have suggested that if he keeps playing this way, he could be stripped of his captaincy and might have to move on from the North London club.
