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City Transfer Target Evaluation — Part 2 (Left-Back)

By Taras Tataryn

Mendy has really made a name for himself following some great Champions League performances. One performance in particular comes to mind...
Mendy has really made a name for himself following some great Champions League performances. One performance in particular comes to mind... /
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Sead Kolasicac: F.C. Schalke (Bosnian international)

Rating: 8.6

Likelihood: 3.3/5

LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY – APRIL 28: Sead Kolasinac of Schalke controls the ball during to the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Schalke 04 at BayArena on April 28, 2017 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY – APRIL 28: Sead Kolasinac of Schalke controls the ball during to the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Schalke 04 at BayArena on April 28, 2017 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

According to numerous articles, the Bosnian international is headed to Arsenal. However, until it’s a done deal he won’t be removed from our transfer target list.

This past season Kolasinac has overtaken Chelsea loanee Baba Rahman as Schalke’s new No.1 at left-back. His performances against top sides, like Borussia Dortmund, have been exemplary. In that game there were numerous instances where he stopped potential goal scoring opportunities with a crucial slide tackle or interception.

Kolasinac’s style is a bit different then those on this list in that he doesn’t totally rely on his pace. The Bosnian’s strengths lie with his tackling and tendency to almost always win the ball. Adding on to that, his strengths primarily lie in his defensive abilities rather than his attacking, which is a stark difference than the rest on this list. This is not to say he doesn’t offer anything going forward; he has vastly improved his crossing and take-on abilities this past season.

This highlight video calls Kolasinac the “Bosnian Hulk.” Enjoy.

Likelihood: 

You would think think, then, that Sead would be an ideal signing for City. We should be focusing on the defensive side of things rather than attacking qualities of full-backs; defense has been our biggest issue this season. Regardless, Pep surely wants someone who can offer a lot going forward.

The fact that he is likely to go to Arsenal doesn’t help this rating, but who knows… with Arsene possibly leaving and big stars potentially making a departure it could possibly prevent someone like Kolasinac from moving to Arsenal. With all that being said, I still think Mendy and Sandro would be preferred before the Bosnian.

Rating Explanation:

As you can see in this Squawka Comparison Matrix, Kolasinac is worse off in almost every offensive stat category, however, when it comes to blocks, interceptions, and aerial duels won, the Bosnian is far superior. I really like Kolasinac, and think he could flourish under Pep. I see him as a more versatile Kolarov who offers a bit more defensively and going forward.

However, at the moment it seems somewhat unlikely that he will join City. Nonetheless, he would still be a great signing.

Strengths:

  • Defensive contributions: interceptions, blocks, etc.
  • Aerial duels
  • Short passes

Weaknesses:

  • Commits fouls often
  • Not as strong going forward