Maybe, just maybe the penny has dropped for Arsene Wenger and he has realised that Arsenal need just that little bit more physical strength within the team, over a decade since Arsenal fans were treated to the likes of Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell, Lauren, Kolo Toure et al. Does the signing of Sead Kolasinac signal a change in Wenger, possibly admitting that the side has been too frail for far too long now? Or is it merely a coincidence that Kolasinac is built like GI Joe, and just happened to be a very good defender available for free?

Kolasinac has made quite an impressive start to his time at Arsenal, scoring in the Community Shield and then laying on an assist for Welbeck in a style akin to Mesut Ozil. But, fans and coaches alike are talking as much about his incredible physique as they are about his technical skills.

Wenger: “He is the strongest!”

Wenger is already claiming that the Bosnian international is “the strongest” player he has come across.

Wenger added: “There is something there, and you feel that from the crowd. The determined attitude gets to the crowd and the crowd responds to that, and that gives a swing to the team. You can see that with him and when he intervenes he provokes happiness,”

“He uses quite well the strength of his body without violence and when he intervenes it doesn’t look to be a foul, he just uses his body strength. It is an important quality to help adapt to the Premier League.“

Value for money

Wenger also said that acquiring Kolasinac on a free transfer in the summer from Schalke turned out to be “a nice bargain” especially in a summer transfer window that has seen Manchester City invest over £100m on full backs.

Arsenal had been monitoring Kolasinac for a while, but it was Wenger watching him live that sealed his intent to move for the left back.

“I think it was a good opportunity in Germany because we knew he was at the end of his contract,” Wenger said. “Watching him, I thought he had the quality. I met him and he had a good spirit and a good attitude so basically overall it was a no-brainer for us.“

Huge match with Liverpool

Kolasinac adds more than just strength to the Arsenal defence which has struggled in recent seasons and didn’t look completely comfortable conceding three against Leicester. A 1-0 defeat at Stoke City was tough to take and the Bosnian will need to rally the troops with a huge game against Liverpool at the weekend. You will be able to follow the live scores and updates on some football betting sites, and fans from all over the world will be able to stay close to the Arsenal on Sunday. With Shkodran Mustafi and Per Mertesacker available again, Kolasinac could be shift up to left wing back to try and deny Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah an easy afternoon.

Wenger has also recruited Kolasinac for his ability to get forward, saying,

“He has the capacity to repeat runs and we noticed when we watched him play that he is quite dangerous in the final third. He already has some assists since he came here so overall maybe he is not a glamorous dribbler but the quality of his runs are very efficient.”

Teething Issues

Even as Kolasinac has made an impressive start to life in the Premier League, he is struggling to pick up the language. Kolasinac has said himself that his English is “better but not perfect” and that trying to understand what his teammates tell him at times is “really, really difficult”.

He further told the Arsenal website:

“When I listen to the English players, like when Oxlade-Chamberlain talks to Danny [Welbeck], I need to listen twice because it’s so quick and it’s hard through the accent,”

“But I’ve got time to learn it and I will do that. Everyone has welcomed me so well and speak a lot of English with me to help me learn the language. I’m pleased that I get on so well with everyone.“