Aleksandr Kokorin The Perfect Fit For Arsenal

Steam is picking up behind the rumors of Aleksandr Kokorin’s supposed move to North London as former Russian players are pushing him towards Arsenal.

Rumors tying Dynamo Moscow striker Aleksandr Kokorin to Arsenal always seemed a tad bit far-fetched. But then again, so does every rumor. A deal was supposedly on the brink of being struck at the end of the summer, but faith was kept that Danny Welbeck would be recovering on time.

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Since that time, it has become painfully clear that we do not know when Welbeck will be back and with how well Theo Walcott is doing on the wings, that means that Olivier Giroud is back to having zero competition. That in and of itself should be enough for Arsene Wenger to spring into action. Giroud cannot be allowed to lapse back into inconsistency. He has cited his rivalry with Theo Walcott as the primary driving force behind his form. With Walcott now needed on the pitch at all times, that means it is up to Wenger to find competition for Giroud.

Kokorin is apparently the perfect solution, according to former Manchester United winger Andrei Kanchelskis.

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“Kokorin should jump at the chance to leave Russia and go to that country,” Kanchelskis said, via the Telegraph. “The Russian championship is very weak and Alexander can progress at Arsenal. Arsenal are the best option for Alexander’s career. If he is prepared to work a lot, he will not have any problems.”

Kanchelskis went on to state that Kokorin would be nothing like Andrey Arshavin and that he could emerge as a world class talent. Of course, the key there is Arsene Wenger. Kanchelskis pointed to Arsene Wenger as the key to Kokorin’s development, which has seemingly been stunted in Russia.

Aleksandr Kokorin has always had a mass of potential since he emerged on the international scene. However, he cannot progress beyond the league he plays in and the Russian Premier League is serving as a fence to hem in Kokorin’s potential. He has a great goal-scoring record for the Russian side but not even that has been able to keep them out of the bottom half of the table.

Kanchelskis went on to point out that Kokorin plays in the exact same 4-2-3-1 formation that Arsenal plays in, so even as he is learning the English way (and language) he can still find familiarity in the formation.

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Kokorin has proven to be a talent at the international level. He is an aerial threat, winning two aerial duels per game and given his size, those kinds of numbers will not be all that difficult to translate into England.

Arsenal has supposedly tabled a £5m. That is a steal if that is all Kokorin costs. At just 24 years of age, he has so much time to learn and develop under Arsene Wenger. The pressure that he exudes on Giroud would be enough to justify that cost. Now if he manages to turn into something it’s almost like Arsenal paid nothing for him.