Sead Kolasinac has started only once in the PL for Arsenal so far this season (Getty Images)
According to Arsenal official website, left-back Sead Kolasinac has returned to his former club Schalke on loan after falling out of favour in North London.
The Daily Mail has claimed that Arsenal could consider offloading Kolasinac permanently in the summer, with the player’s contract set to expire in 2022. The 27-year-old featured as a key squad player for the Gunners under former managers Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery after moving to the Emirates on a free transfer from Schalke in 2017.
However, Kolasinac has slipped down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta this season. The Spaniard has been content to rely on Kieran Tierney as at the first-choice left-back.
The Scottish international had his debut season in North London ravaged by injuries following his transfer from Celtic in 2019. But he has really cemented his place as a regular starter with a string of impressive displays on the left in the ongoing campaign.
With Ainsley Maitland-Niles the designated back-up in both full-back positions, Kolasinac cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines. The Bosnian made just 9 appearances in all competitions so far this season, with his only outing in the Premier League coming in the 2-1 win over West Ham way back in September.
In fact, he made the bench in the club’s PL matchday squads just twice after that, which clearly summed up his lack of involvement.
Putting things into perspective, Arsenal sanctioning a loan departure for Sead Kolanisac in January is the right decision. It has been clear from Arteta’s team selection that he doesn’t particularly fancy the Bosnian, with Tierney and Maitland-Niles both above him in the pecking order at left-back.
Despite Arsenal looking at a hectic second half of the campaign, Kolasinac’s situation was unlikely to change a great deal. Tierney has been one of the brightest sparks of a rather disappointing start to the season for the Gunners. Maitland-Niles, on the other hand, has proven himself more than capable of delivering the goods whenever Arteta has rotated his squad.
Truth be told. Kolanisac’s omission from Arsenal’s starting eleven this season doesn’t come as a massive surprise. The Bosnian earned plaudits as an attacking full-back during his stay in North London, with his tally of 5 goals and 15 assists in 113 appearances enough to substantiate those claims. However, it is his lack of consistency at the back that has often got Arsenal into trouble.
The Gunners now have an excellent all-round full-back in the form of Tierney, who looks capable of evolving into a wonderful long-term servant at the Emirates.
Kolasinac’s future in North London certainly looked bleak and it goes without saying that he needed a move elsewhere to play regularly once again. So, sending him out on loan is the right call by the Gunners.