Arsenal: Aleksandr Kokorin Will Always Be A 'What If'

Arsenal’s search for a striker is leading to some old rumors being dug up. Yet, Aleksandr Kokorin’s window of opportunity has passed. He will always be a ‘what if’.

Arsenal have been tied to Aleksandr Kokorin for quite some time. The Russian has been widely touted as a promising striker that has a ton of potential. He just needs the right care and dedication to hone that ability.

Those rumors reached a fever pitch this past January. With Arsenal clearly in need of another striker, Arsenal passed on Kokorin and let him stay in Russia, as he completed a move from the capital to Zenit St. Petersburg. There, Kokorin scored just two goals in his twelve games.

Risk avoided, right? Clearly Kokorin was not Arsenal material.

But I disagree. The problem is that the grounds for disagreeing with that are incredibly unstable because of the simple fact that Kokorin has never left Russia and he has never been particularly outstanding in Russia.

In terms of international competitions, he may not have the hard stats to back up any particular praise, but when you watch the guy play, you see quality. He never makes horrid mistakes and he always manages to contribute to Russia’s efforts, no matter how lackluster they can sometimes be.

Kokorin has been urged by his countrymen to leave the homeland behind. They believe that his potential cannot be fully utilized if he stays at home clubs like Moscow and St. Petersburg. Hard to argue, seeing as how no matter where Kokorin goes within Russia, he produces at about the same rate.

Some may point to that as a clear indication that he isn’t good enough to leave Russia. But I look at it a different way. Sometimes you can only play as good as those around you. I made that point for Fabian Schar yesterday and I think it is the same for Kokorin. The talent is so plain to see but without premium quality talents surrounding him, he is not going to get any better.

It just seems like such a low risk, high reward investment. Arsenal passed on Kokorin in January when he was only going to cost them less than £5m. That’s pocket change, and for what? For a striker that has the size and ability to succeed. He just doesn’t have the track record to prove that he’s worth a major investment. But for that cost, he isn’t a major investment.

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I have been known to shoot down any rumor that involves a player not involved in one of the top five European Leagues. My crowning achievement is haughtily rejecting the links to Jackson Martinez. But the difference is clear, to me at least. Jackson Martinez was a 29 year old who was going to cost upwards of £30m. Kokorin is a 25 year old that would cost less than £5m.

See the difference?

To me, January was the last good chance for Arsenal to land Kokorin. They passed. He has just arrived at Zenit, so there’s no great urgency to sell him and by time they do, he will be approaching what should be his prime. Ideally, you’d like a guy like Kokorin to have some experience in a top league before he hits his prime. Otherwise he will be spending his best days learning a new way and a new league – not the best idea.

Next: Luis Suarez Mistakes Being Made Again?

Aleksandr Kokorin will always be one of the biggest ‘What Ifs?’ in Arsenal’s recent transfer lore. I truly believed that he could have developed outside of Russia but apparently not many share that opinion.

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Arsenal: Aleksandr Kokorin Will Always Be A ‘What If’

By Josh Sippie | Jun 21, 2016

Arsenal’s search for a striker is leading to some old rumors being dug up. Yet, Aleksandr Kokorin’s window of opportunity has passed. He will always be a ‘what if’.

More from Pain in the Arsenal