Vincent Koziello Has Arsenal Written All Over Him

Arsenal still have a ‘prototypical’ signing and there is one man in all of France that embodies that prototype to a tee. That man is Vincent Koziello and Arsenal want him.

There used to be a bit of a stereotype that any time Arsenal needed a signing, Arsene Wenger would find a young, undersized Frenchman, sign him, and call it a day. That stereotype has faded a bit in recent years, but if ever there were a time for it to reemerge, that time is now.

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For once, there appears to be a young, undersized French midfielder that will benefit Arsenal immensely. That’s right, Arsene Wenger should be given the green light to delve into his favorite kind of signing.

Koziello is a very unique specimen when it comes to what he would offer the club. On the surface, yes, he is just another small, creative midfielder. But he is so much more than that. Although, he is that base model as well.

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Koziello is doing some special things in France. The 20 year old has seized a starting role on OGC Nice, where they hold third place, good for a Champion’s League spot.

When it comes to being 20 years old, one of the main ways to determine their maturity is looking at their ball retention. Nice’s young Frenchman takes the cake in that category. Better yet, he takes all the cakes. Koziello has maintained a 90% pass completion this season (via WhoScored). Not only that, but he is dispossessed less than once per appearance. Ligue 1 is one of the Big Five, it is not easy for someone just out of their teen years to show such composure on the ball.

Koziello also has the hard statistics to back him up. His three goals on the year are good for third best on the team and his three assists are good for second. He is one of the key members of Nice as they hang onto third place in Ligue 1. Take some time to comprehend that. This kid is special and he is still relatively under the radar, with only Arsenal and AC Milan reportedly keen on him, according to the Metro.

However, it is in his surprising tackling ability that Koziello sets himself apart. The lad averages over three tackles a game, despite being undersized. That little added boon to his game makes all the difference.

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According to Transfermarkt, Koziello’s market value has not yet passed £4m. This is the bargain of all bargains and Arsenal would be silly to let him fall to someone else.

In terms of immediate benefit, Koziello is not going to be someone that waltzes in and steals the show. But at 20 years of age, he will have time to grow into an important role at Arsenal. He has the versatility to play centrally as well as out wide, two positions that are going to be three men lighter come the summer.

His age would also put him at the same point as youthful stars like Jon Toral, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Dan Crowley and a handful of other ‘next generation’ Arsenal men.

It is definitely not the position of greatest need, but Wenger has always stated that he makes exceptions for rare talent.

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If a 20 year old who is taking Ligue 1 by storm, who can be bought for £4m, isn’t a rare talent, I don’t know what is.