Arsenal: Christopher Nkunku can change what a Plan B looks like

Arsenal are now being linked with Christopher Nkunku, and no matter how much you know about him, there is a massive breakthrough waiting here.

Disclaimer: I don’t know much of anything about Christopher Nkunku. I’ve done the usual, backtracking over old footage of him, and I like what I see, but he is not a player that I’m as familiar with as I wish I was. The fact that Arsenal are interested in him, however, has struck me as particularly massive for another reason entirely.

During Arsene Wenger’s reign, he always had a very direct way of getting what he wanted. He had players that he knew he had to have and, if he couldn’t have them, he wouldn’t have anyone.

There was never a Plan B option. When a need arose, Wenger had a guy in mind and if he couldn’t get that guy, he rarely ever had ‘another guy.’ And if he did, if there was another player that he got instead, it never amounted to anything, usually because Wenger was obviously reeling over not getting his guy.

Think back to Alexandre Lacazette. Wenger was so convinced that Lacazette was the guy, that when he couldn’t land him right away, he got Lucas Perez. Lucas was never given a chance in hell at making it at the Emirates. From the moment he arrived, he was shoved to the side.

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And eventually, when Lacazette did arrive, Lucas was pushed even further aside. He was the Plan B, Lucas, but the plan was never even attempted.

I’ll invoke the name of Kim Kallstrom. The infamous tale of desperation where there was literally no one else on the table, so when he had a back problem reported, Wenger essentially said, ‘well it’s him or no one.’

Nkunku is the Plan B to Denis Suarez. At least that is how he is being talked about. The young PSG midfielder has been known to play on the wings and even wingback, but he is still seen as the fill-in for where the Suarez rumors fell through.

Unai Emery isn’t like Arsene Wenger, so I hope that this can shine through again in another area that Wenger was less than good at – giving players that weren’t on the top of his list a chance.

Nkunku is young, he has a ton of talent, and if given the opportunity, he can be like another Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Which just doubles the potential that one of them will pan out.