Anyone who has been keeping up with the recent Arsenal transfer news and rumours will not be surprised to hear that the Bosnia and Herzogovia international star Sead Kolasinac is going to be playing for the Gunners next season, but we always need to wait for the official confirmation before being completely sure.
That has now arrived, reports The Mirror, with the 23-year old being shown in his new club colours after signing for Arsenal on a free transfer due to his contract with the German club Schalke having come to an end when the season finished.
The Arsenal FC statement reads, “Sead Kolasinac will join us this summer on a long-term contract.
“Subject to the completion of all regulatory processes, the defender will start pre-season training in July.”
The report claims that the versatile defender will be earning in excess of £100,000 a week and that suggests to me that Arsene Wenger is expecting Kolasinac to be a regular first team player and an intrinsic part of the side next season.
This begs the question of where he will play and whose place will he take, which is not as easy as you might think. With Schalke he usually played at left back but when he was coming through the ranks he also played quite a lot at centre back or as a defensive midfielder.
In a back four system you would expect him to play on the left so it would be Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs who would be fighting for a place with the new boy. If Wenger continues to play a back three, however, things become harder to work out.
If he was on the left side of a three man defence I would say that Monreal has more to worry about as Gibbs is the more attacking of the two, but the Spaniard seems to be ahead of the Englishman in Wenger’s pecking order, so how do you think Kolasinac will fit into the Arsenal system?
Anyway, welcome to the Arsenal Sead Kolasinac. Do us proud lad!
Bob.