Sead Kolasinac's Arsenal move has solved a problem the Gunners didn't know they had

Arsenal’s defender Sead Kolasinac (R) celebrates scoring on August 6, 2017 (AFP Photo/Ian KINGTON)

When the Arsenal club store opened for the first time ahead of the new season, there couldn’t have been many fans waiting to get their hands on a Saed Kolasinac shirt. Indeed, the Bosnian wasn’t the most bombastic of summer signings, with his arrival overshadowed by the club record capture of Alexandre Lacazette. The true significance of Kolasinac’s signing became apparent on Sunday, though.

Against Chelsea, the left back – who played on the left side of the Gunners’ back three – was arguably the best player on the pitch. The Premier League champions are one of the most resolute defensive outfits in the game, yet not even Antonio Conte’s side could handle the irrepressible Kolasinac.

So significant has the signing of the Bosnian been, he has solved a problem Arsenal weren’t even aware they had. Nacho Monreal proved himself as a solid option at left back last season, but Kolasinac, at least based on his performances over pre-season and in the Community Shield, will become the Gunners’ entire left wing.

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By using Kolasinac as a wing back, Arsene Wenger doesn’t need to concern himself with finding someone to play in front of the Bosnian like he did with Monreal. This frees up the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez (assuming they both stay beyond the end of the transfer window) to drift inside, where they can cause more damage in the final third.

The same applies on the opposite flank, where Hector Bellerin can fly down the right wing, affording more central support to summer signing Alexandre Lacazette. The switch to the back three, which is a direct result of Kolasinac’s arrival, could bring a balance to Arsenal, with a number of players given a fresh lease of life as a result of the shift.

Take Theo Walcott, for instance, who demonstrated throughout pre-season looked liberated by the freedom afforded to him by the deployment of the wing backs behind him. For so long, the England International has wanted to play in a more central position. The signing of Kolasinac and the subsequent adoption of a back three could prove to be a watershed in Walcott’s career.

This is the true mark of Kolasinac’s potential influence. His arrival could bring the best out of others around him, as he showed at the weekend. “I think he was outstanding today,” Wenger gushed about Kolasinac’s performance against Chelsea in the Community Shield. “He is physically very strong, naturally. You have players who were pumped up in the gym and players who were born strong. And he’s the second part. … in the Premiership power plays a part.

“But it’s not only that, I bought him as well for his attitude. I believe the modern game doesn’t tolerate as many weaknesses anymore as it did 20 years ago. And it’s always a combination of talent and attitude. He looks to me that he has good talent but as well a very strong and determined attitude, supported by a strong body.”

Wenger has come under intense pressure of late to spend big, with the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United blitzing the Gunners out of the transfer market. But the capture of Kolasinac is the antithesis of such a way of thinking. Signed as a free agent from Schalke, he goes against the grain of the zeitgeist.

So much is heaped on the shoulders of Lacazette this season, with the club record signing expected to give Arsenal the cutting edge they have so desperately lacked in recent years. But from a tactical perspective, it could be Kolasinac who proves to be the Gunners’ most significant addition this summer.