Why signing Layvin Kurzawa would give Arsenal some confidence at the back

According to Daily Express, Arsenal are keen on signing PSG left-back Layvin Kurzawa coming summer.

The 27-year-old star will be available for free as his contract with the French giants is set to expire at the end of this season. However, Arsenal will face competition, with the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona also in the race to land the out-of-favour man.

A regular during his initial days at the club, Kurzawa has lost his spot to Juan Bernat, who has grown into a first-choice full-back with the Parisians. He has made just 14 appearances in the league this season and has a goal and assist to his name. His mere numbers are a testament to his limited game time in Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have had plenty of issues in defence this season, with two of their left-backs Kieran Tierney and Sead Kolasinac down with injuries. The duo’s fitness problems have left coach Mikel Arteta to rely on young Bukayo Saka to play in that position.

Despite impressing when given the chance, Sako is not playing in his preferred wider role. Though Tierney, who arrived from Celtic just last summer, remains Arteta’s obvious first-choice, Kurzawa will definitely get more game time at the Emirates if he manages to impress.

Kolasinac, on the other hand, considering his form and previous displays, would definitely fall behind the other two. Also, Kurzawa is not someone new to the scene and has plenty of experience under his belt.

Since arriving from rivals Monaco in the summer of 2015, Kurzawa has played a total of 123 matches across all competitions for the French champions. Moreover, he is an attack-minded full-back, who has scored 13 goals and assisted 21 times for the French outfit.

Meanwhile, defensive lapses early in the season had seen Arsenal struggle to climb up the ladder. They have conceded 36 goals from the 28 games that they have played so far.

Also, constant changes at the back due to injuries to some of their defenders have seen the team’s tempo getting affected. Hence, bringing in the experienced Kurzawa would offer Arsenal the much-needed confidence that they lack at the back.

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Verdict

In Kurzawa, Arsenal will find themselves having a seasoned campaigner who has played at the highest level with some of the best in the business. Moreover, he would be raring to go onto the pitch and prove himself after having been restricted to the sidelines this season. This could, in turn, be useful for the Gunners who clearly lack an experienced full-back in their ranks.