Arsenal: Sead Kolasinac so much more than a novelty item

Arsenal got Sead Kolasinac for free. If they had paid £30m for him, he’d have been well worth it. So stop trying to think of excuses and embrace the man.

When Arsenal first signed Sead Kolasinac for free, I was right here, telling you that this was a fantastic signing that would be just as impactful as Alexandre Lacazette, who was coming in in the same transfer window.

I’d say that, two years later, I was absolutely right. And that’s not to say that Lacazette hasn’t lived up to expectations, because he absolutely has, but it’s to say that Sead Kolasinac has been everything I’d have dreamed of an then some.

Particularly, he is more than a novelty item, as some people see him, unfortunately. He’s tough and strong and known as the Bosnian Hulk, which is what a lot of people cling to, holding him in high regard because he provides a certain gruffness that this club has lacked in past seasons.

But beyond all of that, beyond him being a living tank, you have a guy who does so much more, a guy that yes, you can build a plan around. If that isn’t the true definition of a star, then I don’t know what is.

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BATE Borisov was a really poor outing for our dearly beloved Gunners. They were wasteful, their chance creators were rather dull yet again, and out of nothing, Sead Kolasinac had to hold it all together, to the tune of notching seven key passes all on his own, despite being taken out in the 74th minute. If you want to do the math, it would equate to about a chance every ten minutes.

He should have stayed on instead of Alex Iwobi, too, because Iwobi wasn’t exactly creating anything, was he?

I’m tired of people trying to think up excuses for why Kolasinac isn’t good enough. Maybe he’s a bit lacking in the defensive quadrant, but that is the only thing you can hold against the guy. He does everything else well. And yes, he is fast. There was a belief that he was slow, which is absolutely not true.

Build around Sead Kolasinac, don’t concoct ridiculous reasons why he isn’t good enough to be here. He is. That’s a fact. He’s a light in the darkness of chance creation.

And I’m willing to bet (seriously, bet me) that in the second leg, he will have another massive role to play.