Arsenal: The risk and the reward with Denis Suarez

Arsenal have four months to try out Denis Suare before making a decision. That leaves plenty of room for reward, but just as much for risk.

I’ve been talking a lot about how Denis Suarez has such a clear and concise path towards really being something at Arsenal, and for the most part, I will hold to that. Asking for two created chances per match and over one dribble completed per match is not asking for much.

That said, there is more to this move than just the statistical relevance of it. Suarez has four months, that’s not a lot of time, and in those four months, there is a lofty amount of reward available for the taking, but also a bit of risk.

The reward should be obvious – the statistical output isn’t a lot to ask (especially seeing as how he’s done it before). And if he can meet those needs, well then a primary concern of the club has been solved for an incredibly cheap fee, which will be made permanent in the summer, and the need to re-do this creative force becomes a need to reinforce instead.

Suarez can be the guy to be built around, he can be the central piece of the puzzle, and he can be a template for the other types of players that can help augment the creative side of this club.

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But there is risk too, and it’s important not to let that fall by the wayside while we’re busy spouting about this “easy” path to a permanent deal.

The risk is that, if he can’t do the job that is asked of him, then no one else can either. He was it – the one guy that was brought in in January. There is no back-up. We’ve already used all of them and most are probably leaving in the summer anyway.

If Suarez has to leave too, if he underwhelms, then all of this was for naught. Maybe we have a better indication of what does and doesn’t work in the creative midfield, but overall, since no one else was brought in, we are starting from scratch.

And of course, there is always that risk of expecting too much of the guy. He is being brought in to a major void, which can be daunting, that’s for sure.

Time will tell. I do see the reward as much weightier than the risk, but that doesn’t mean either or can’t happen.