Arsenal: Is Yannick Carrasco anything more than trouble?

Arsenal are being strongly linked with a move for Belgian winger Yannick Carrasco. While talented, is the 25-year-old anything more than trouble?

Arsenal need a winger. Such is the team’s desperation for a wide player, Unai Emery has experimented with a 3-4-3 to manufacture width through the wing-backs or just abandoned his attempt completely, playing with four central midfielders behind two strikers.

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The rather drastic measures that Emery has gone to in his selections is proof of the team’s lack of natural width through the personnel that is actually available. Put very plainly, Arsenal do not have any players that can play the wide positions with consistent production. Not one.

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This rather concerning shortcoming has led many fans to prioritise the winger position above all else in the transfer market, either this January or in the summer, when more funds are more likely to be available for significant investment. And one name that has surfaced in recent days is former Atletico Madrid winger and Belgian international, Yannick Carrasco.

The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to the Emirates previously, but the price tag was always troubling while he plied his trade in Madrid and had plenty of suitors throughout Europe. However, now, after a year spent in China to help out his bank account, Carrasco is not quite the name on everyone’s lips that he was just a couple of years ago. And that could well turn out to be for Arsenal’s benefit.

Carrasco has reportedly been offered to the Gunners, who put out feelers regarding potential wide players who might be available. The winger is the right type of player. An excellent dribbler, blessed with quick feet and great agility, he is capable of beating defenders with the ball at his feet, creating chances from wide spaces, and stretching the pitch with his pace. But there is more to a signing than just what they may — or may not — bring between the white lines.

It was this time last year that Carrasco, just as he was entering the prime of his career, six months before a World Cup that his Belgium had an excellent chance of winning, chose to move to China, a transfer that was clearly not for the level of competition. He wanted the money. He did not want to be the best player that he could possibly become and challenge himself at the highest level. Is that the type of character you want to be investing substantial resources in?

Moreover, there were whispers of attitude problems during Atletico. He was not quite a regular, with Diego Simeone demanding a level of commitment and defensive industry that some attacking players simply are not willing to follow. Although these rumours are unsubstantiated, it adds to the picture of Carrasco’s character.

Is Carrasco anything more than trouble? That is the question that Arsenal must ask themselves before they sign him. I do not know the answer to that question, but I’m not sure I’d be willing to pay to find out.