Arsenal: Denis Suarez on loan – What’s there to lose?

Arsenal are still reportedly pushing to sign Denis Suarez on loan for the remainder of the season. While it is hardly the most inspiring of signings, what is there to lose?

Kim Kallstrom might be the worst signing that I can remember Arsenal ever making. Acquired on a six-month loan in January 2014, the Swedish midfielder, who was desperately required for depth purposes, arrived with an undiagnosed back injury. He then proceeded to play just 128 Premier League minutes, making just one start.

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He is not the worst player that Arsenal have ever signed. There are plenty worse than him. But the point of a six-month loan signing is that they are able to offer value from the get-go. They are a short-term fix for a problem that cannot be properly addressed in the present. And Kallstrom was injured. That is no solution.

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But even the loan of Kallstrom cost the Gunners very little. They had to pay his wages for six months, but there was no transfer fee, no young player blocked from regular playing time in the first team. They lost almost nothing other than what he would have given them had he been fit from the arguably the worst signing in the club’s history.

This brings me to Denis Suarez. Akin to the Kallstrom scenario, Arsenal are looking to add attacking depth to their squad. Injuries to Danny Welbeck, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and repeated back spasms for Mesut Ozil have depleted their numbers substantially, with Unai Emery having few options to turn to late in games if the starting plan is not working. Attacking flexibility is something that he does not have.

Suarez would undoubtedly help provide that. An attacking midfielder who has experience in wide positions also, he is an intelligent player, capable of playing in several positions across the midfield. That kind of depth is the short-term solution that a six-month loan can provide.

With Barcelona signing Kevin Prince-Boateng this week, there is now the opportunity for Suarez to be loaned out for the remainder of the year. While reports suggest there is still a long way to go, I expect this deal to take place before the close of the window in a little over a week. It is not the flashiest of signings, but it is one that, like Kallstrom, has almost no downside.

Arsenal have nothing to lose. Assuming they can afford Suarez’s wages, which is not necessarily a safe assumption to make, there is little financial impact on the club and there is a need for another attacking body in the squad. Options are short and Suarez would at least offer a different player for Emery to use.

Suarez will not win you a Premier League. He is unlikely to make the starting XI at the Emirates. But he is a decent depth piece that will arrive for cheap. What is there to lose?