Arsenal have a £4.5million deal in place to sign Russian striker Aleksandr Kokorin if Danny Welbeck cannot regain fitness soon – according to reports in France.
Kokorin has 36 senior caps for Russia, with 10 goals. He has scored 22 goals in 57 appearances during his latest two years stint at Dinamo Moskow.
Kokorin was once tipped to be on of the most promising young strikers in Europe, but at 24, he is so far yet to realise his potential. With rumours suggesting Arsenal could sign him for as little as £4.5million, I doubt he is doing much in Russia to warrant a move to a club like Arsenal.
But Arsenal could benefit from a rotation option in attack. With Welbeck suffering a further set back and with Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott starting alongside each other, there is no striker on the bench. Kokorin could act as a sub for that position, although he can also play in attacking midfield or on the wing.
Former Manchester United midfielder Andrei Kanchelskis thinks Kokorin to Arsenal would be the perfect move:
“Kokorin should jump at the chance to leave Russia and go to that country. The Russian championship is very weak and Alexander can progress at Arsenal.
“Arsenal are the best option for Alexander’s career,” Kanchelskis added. “If he is prepared to work a lot, he will not have any problems. He will not be like Andrei Arshavin and will become a top class forward for the London club.”
Kokorin has the raw ability to succeed, but he needs to improve and work on his game. Arsenal could be the perfect place for him to do that. What do you think?
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