Arsenal: Kevin Volland leaves plenty of room for imagination

Arsenal are reportedly lining up a move for Bayer Leverkusen attacker Kevin Volland, a move that has plenty of growth potential for imagination.

Mere days after Mikel Arteta became the boss of Arsenal, the transfer rumors are already coming in hot. The biggest name to be touted is Bayer Leverkusen forward Kevin Volland. The 27-year-old German has played across the attacking board, from striker to winger to No.10-ish, and he’s always come out positive.

For some, this may not seem exciting. He’s not a speed king, he’s 27, so he isn’t young. But there is so much room for imagination with his usage on the team.

First of all, you can tell that every manager who has passed through the Emirates has been uncertain about using two strikers together. It just doesn’t jive with them, even with both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

Instead, Aubameyang would often be slotted out wide to play as a winger, which he used to do in his younger days.

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Fun fact, Aubameyang is not an effective winger. And that’s a bummer, but it is what it is. Which is where Kevin Volland makes so much sense. He is a winger. The same way that he is a striker. He’s just a general attacker with the ability to score and create and what would give Arteta complete flexibility to move him wherever he needs.

With the early experimentation phases ahead, Arteta is going to be rotating formation and trying to figure out what works best. Sometimes that’ll involve wingers and strikers and creative players moved all over the place. It’s hard to find players who are comfortable in multiple positions.

Check that, it isn’t hard to find that, Arsenal just have some dinosaurs like Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil who play one position and one position only.

Volland is not that guy. If you need him to wing, he’ll wing. If you need him to strike, he’ll strike. He has a proven goal scoring resume, but he’s always matched that with his ability to create from wide, cut in, do the whole lot, he does it.

He’s got the enthusiasm gene as well, never quitting, he’s stocky and strong, he has two strong feet and that brings his versatility to 11.

At this point, it’s not even a matter of him being the first big name of the Arteta era. This is just a smart approach, and I hope we get him.