Many Arsenal fans wouldn’t have heard of Sead Kolasinac when we signed him in the summer. They can’t stop talking about him now.
The bulky Bosnian has earned monikers such as ‘The Tank’, ‘The Beast’ or ‘The Hulk’ for his powerhouse performances, but there is finesse as well as force in his game.
We saw it again on Saturday when, after firing us level with a ferocious shot, Kolasinac’s accuracy from the left flank picked out Aaron Ramsey for what proved to be the winner.
That word came up again when Arsene Wenger spoke to Arsenal.com after the game.
“Sead’s a winner,” said the boss. “Fans want winners and he could deliver again when it was needed today. He didn’t hit it [his shot] into the stand, he hit it into the back of the net. That shows that the guy is a winner.
“He’s been a success because he’s a good football player, and he looks like he’s made for the wing-back position because he likes to go forward and the timing of his runs is very good. After that, I believe as well he has that natural physical power that is needed in the Premier League. Without that, you struggle.”
Sead didn’t finish the match - a precautionary measure after he felt tightness around his hip - but his work was done. Our other goalscorer did complete the 90 minutes, and earned praise from his manager after reaching 50 goals for the club.
“It’s fantastic,” said Wenger. “When you look at the video of the game again, you see that Aaron Ramsey is always in the box.
“Many times he could not finish but this season he is calmer with his finishing and what he did today will give him more confidence. I think there are some goals in him.”
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