Yannick Ferreira Carrasco to Arsenal – Useful, Yet Risky
Arsenal have been linked heavily with former Atletico Madrid and AS Monaco winger Yannick Ferreira Carrasco this week.
It’s been a strange year for Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, who left Atletico less than a year ago to play for Chinese Super League club Dalian Yifang, in a heavily-criticized move. At the time, Carrasco was just 24 and was playing a decent role for a trophy-contending side, so many questioned his priorities when he moved to the Chinese League to grab a nice paycheque.
Well, the dust settled eventually, and the Belgian didn’t even tear China apart in the way many expected him to. Dalian Yifang isn’t one of the better teams in the league, and therefore, Carrasco stumbled to just 7 goals and 5 assists in 25 matches, far worse than many would expect from a player who has scored in a Champions League final.
Despite his struggles in China, it seems that Arsenal are ready to offer Carrasco an escape-route back to Europe where he belongs. It’s no secret that the Gunners are massively depleted in wide areas, as the club don’t have a single natural winger in their 25-man squad. Well, Carrasco truly is a player that Arsenal could use.
He’s fast, hugs the touchline, can beat a man, and drive forward with the ball – qualities that Unai Emery is starving to have.
He may possess qualities that the club is missing, but signing Yannick Carrasco is a risk for Arsenal regardless.
Sure, he’s talented, but there are many things about Yannick Carrasco that make this deal a little bit questionable. First of all, are there better wingers that Arsenal could sign? At the moment, probably not. In the summer? Yes, there are far better ones that would be interested in joining Arsenal. Many seem to associate Carrasco’s move to China with greed or lethargy, but we cannot forget that Atletico Madrid deemed him surplus to requirements at 24-years-old. It’s very difficult to give up on an attacking player at that age, but Atletico were happy to let him go for just €30 million. That is a major warning sign for Arsenal.
His performances for Atletico were never particularly convincing. In fact, Carrasco has really only had 1 memorable season, his final one at Monaco. In the half-season he had at Atletico before joining Dalian Yifang, Carrasco was inconsistent and struggled to break into the XI.
So apparently we have interest in Carrasco. I wanted us to sign him from Monaco. Ive always liked him, but moving to China at the age of 24 for money is such a bad attitude.
— TheArseView (@TheArseView) January 7, 2019
Wages could turn out to be an issue in the deal as well. Arsenal currently have a wage bill worthy of making a grown man cry, and that is an understatement. They simply pay their players far too much for the mediocrity that a lot of them often display on the pitch. Carrasco currently makes around €200k per week at Dalian, and even if he is willing to take a pay-cut, his wages will likely still exceed €100k and therefore pose a risk to Arsenal.
He isn’t a player that is guaranteed to perform well by any means, and another stagnating, expensive, and difficult-to-move-on player is the last thing the club needs.
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But of course, there is a possibility that Arsenal could reap the rewards of this potential deal. Carrasco is still 25 after all, and he would bring qualities to the table that Arsenal are simply dying for. In the short term, there’s a good chance this deal would be beneficial. If he doesn’t perform though, Arsenal are in trouble again.