Arsenal: The pros and cons of Christopher Nkunku signing

Arsenal are said to be interested in the signing of French 21-year-old, Christopher Nkunku. Here are the positives and negatives of the possible signing.

Unai Emery has told Arsenal’s fans from the beginning of the transfer window, that no big-money signings could be brought in during the January window. Apparently, the only moves the Gunners are capable of making are loans. The players that are being mentioned in regards to the possibility of a loan move are either very young or not wanted at their current club. The latest is PSG’s 21-year-old, Christopher Nkunku. Like all transfers, the signing of Nkunku will have upsides as well as downsides, but the most important thing is finding a player whose benefits outweigh their drawbacks.

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So, here are the pros and cons of the potential Nkunku signing.

The negatives of Nkunku signing

1) Nkunku pushes Maitland-Niles down the pecking order

Similarly to Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Nkunku would be brought into the club as a utility player. The positions Nkunku has found himself playing in at PSG include right wing, left wing, central midfield and right-back. Maitland-Niles is a very similar player and, funnily enough, has also played every position that was just mentioned in recent times.

There is no doubt that the pair are very similar in many ways. Both are significantly better going forward then they are defending, they both rely on their physical and athletic attributes, and they would play any position they are asked to as long as it means they will get game time. Nkunku’s signing would most likely directly interfere with Maitland-Niles’ playing time due to their undeniable resemblances.

That would be upsetting on many fronts to Arsenal fans. Maitland-Niles is an incredibly talented young, English player with a very bright future ahead of him, not to mention, he also started off at the youth academy and has impressively worked his way up to the first team. Fans would not want to lose a player with his talents, one that has been with the club for such a long time.

2) Premier League and Ligue 1 are very different

In the Premier League, a certain level of physicality and speed is expected. If a player is not blessed with an abundance of at least one of those attributes, unless if they have superb technical and mental ability, a la David Silva, who is still deceptive quick in short areas, they will find it very difficult to adapt to English football.

Nkunku is an incredibly quick player. His pace would not be an issue. However, it may come as a shock to him how aggressive and powerful the defenders in the Premier league truly are. With all of this being said, many questions were asked about Alexandre Lacazette’s strength prior to joining Arsenal. The former Lyon striker has done nothing but prove all of his doubters wrong since. Who’s to say Nkunku is not capable of doing the same? Nevertheless, there is a gap in quality and physicality between Ligue 1 and the Premier League that must be spanned.

The positives of Nkunku signing

1) Versatility is always a good attribute to have

Nkunku’s versatility is probably one of the main things attracting interest from the Gunners. With Hector Bellerin’s most recent injury adding to their annoyingly long injury list, players who are capable of playing in numerous positions are surely a very high priority on Emery’s shopping list.

The Frenchman’s willingness to play in essentially any position he is put into, including right-back where depth is being tested, completely justifies any interest coming from Arsenal in itself. Nkunku may not help the starting XI right away, but he will provide positional flexibility, depth, and a six-month window to see if Arsenal want to sign him on a permanent deal in the summer.

2) A definite low-risk for a Possibly high reward

At only 21, Nkunku would be a much-welcomed addition to the already impressive group of talented of youngsters already at the club. Arsenal are said to be interested in pursuing a loan deal with an option to buy at the end of the loan spell. Doing so will give them the power to judge whether Nkunku is worth long-term, permanent investment.

If they decide he is not good enough, he will be shipped back to his parent club PSG. However, if they feel as though he is good enough, the club will be able to sign him at a cut-price deal due to the fact that the player’s current contract expires in 2020. There isn’t much to risk here and yet it comes with great potential reward.

One thing to note also is that Emery has worked with Nkunku at PSG previously. Admittedly, it was not wholly extensively, but there is still a prior understanding of the player’s relative abilities and value. Arsenal are not signing blindly here.

There are many positives and negatives to the possible Nkunku signing. Ultimately, though, only actually signing the player will tell. Whether or not Nkunku will actually join is still to be determined, but if the club does go through with the loan deal, then we will see if the Frenchman was worth it or not.