Arsenal: Selling Sead Kolasinac sounds better than it actually is

Arsenal are in a state where selling just about anyone sounds good, so Sead Kolasinac is no exception. But it’s not as good as it sounds, trust me.

After that ridiculous loss to Chelsea, I am less attached to any Arsenal player than ever before. If Unai Emery sold everyone and bought a whole new team to pair with his youth options, I’d shrug and look forward to the results.

But after that fancy settles down and I calm myself, I come to terms with the fact that not everyone is going to be sold. And right as that happened, rumors tying Sead Kolasinac to a potential sale popped up and I feel as if I’m being tested.

I have defended Sead Kolasinac for what feels like a decade, even though he’s only been here two years. He certainly has his downfalls, and perhaps we can do better, but selling him outright, while it may sound attractive, is not a good idea.

Consider what Kolasinac was up against this year. He was working with next to nothing. No matter how much he bolted down the left flank and turned himself back towards the opposing goal box, it was always his delivery that everything hinged on.

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With that kind of responsibility, there are going to come times when he disappoints, it’s the law of averages.

But to call him inadequate in his attacking abilities is woefully unappreciative. Look no further than what happens elsewhere. I don’t know of another wingback/fullback with the ability to drive straight into the teeth of the defense quite like Kolasinac does. He gets in such rich attacking positions that, with a bit more composure, he would be a huge threat every single time.

And to be fair, he almost already is. Just getting into the positions that he gets into puts the opposing defense in tough spots, where they have to scramble to defend, and more times than not (yes, more times than not), a simple cut back pass is enough to spring a chance.

If you want proof, consider that Kolasinac was leading the team in chances created up until about two months ago. He was our only consistent guy at doing it.

If you want to say we can upgrade, fine. Do it. But ditching him entirely? That seems like a risk we don’t need to take. That is, unless you can get like… £30m for him. Then we can talk.