Arsenal target Kurzawa has been lost in a haze of shisha smoke and a bad entourage – but there’s a star there somewhere
ARSENAL are close to a deal to sign France and Paris Saint-Germain left-back Layvin Kurzawa, once he becomes a free agent this summer. With the Gunners’ injury problems in that position this season, they may well even opt to bring him to the club in as soon as this month. But Gooners beware, while the […]
ARSENAL are close to a deal to sign France and Paris Saint-Germain left-back Layvin Kurzawa, once he becomes a free agent this summer.
With the Gunners’ injury problems in that position this season, they may well even opt to bring him to the club in as soon as this month.
But Gooners beware, while the club will be welcoming a talented footballer, Kurzawa, 27, still has much to prove.
Kurzawa began his professional career at Monaco, making his debut as an 18-year-old and gaining limited game time over his first three seasons as the club were relegated from Ligue 1.
His breakthrough season came as the club returned to Ligue 1, flush with Russian cash and boasting new signings Falcao and James Rodriguez.
Despite competing with experienced defenders, Kurzawa made the left-back position his own, helping Monaco to finish the season as runners-up to PSG.
He bagged a spot in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season, that year, too…
Kurzawa – who originally played as a striker – won rave reviews for his performances as an attacking full-back, contributing five goals and three assists to Monaco’s successful season.
The defensive side still showed room for improvement, but Kurzawa was already being talked about as a future France left-back.
In the 2014-15 season, he remained a Monaco regular, featuring in both legs as the team knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League at the second-round stage.
That season also saw Kurzawa graduate from the France Under-21 team to the full squad, although not before gaining notoriety – and a lot of criticism – for an incident at the end of an Under-21s European Championship qualifier against Sweden.
Having scored an 87th-minute goal which looked to have put France through, Kurzawa goaded the Swedes by saluting them all.
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Two minutes later, however, John Guidetti scored to put Sweden through and he and his team-mates took great pleasure in throwing the taunt back in the Frenchman’s face.
Kurzawa’s impressive performances for club and country led to PSG signing him for £23million in the summer of 2015, as they looked to find a successor to Brazilian star Maxwell.
Now playing for one of Europe’s major clubs, and with left-back a problem position for France, Kurzawa had the chance to become a regular international and a world-class defender.
Sadly, his time at PSG has seen him stagnate, leaving him at the career crossroads.
The past four and a half years have seen him feature in only half of PSG’s league matches, while he has missed more matches than he has played in the Champions League.
The promising youngster has now grown to a 27-year-old who has so far failed to live up to his potential.
The reasons for this are varied. On a purely footballing basis, Kurzawa has not kicked on.
He is still a very good footballer going forward. His crossing could be a little better, he is quick, skilful, a good passer of the ball and is an excellent finisher.
He even has a Champions League hat-trick to his name. Not many can say that…
But defensively, he remains prone to lapses of concentration and to being caught out of position, committing errors expected of an inexperienced pro but not one with almost 200 games under his belt.
INJURIES, SHISHA & BLACKMAIL
Injuries have also played their part, as a long list of niggles throughout his career – none of them major save for a herniated disc – have often stopped him building momentum or maintaining form and fitness.
PSG themselves should share some blame too. Kurzawa is not the only promising player to fail to hit the heights at the club.
As well as several examples in midfield, at the full-back position alone there is a long list who have failed to be given the support needed on and off the pitch to succeed in the French capital.
That list includes huge names such as Gregory van der Wiel, Thomas Meunier, Lucas Digne, Yuri Berchiche and Serge Aurier.
Questions marks have also been raised about Kurzawa’s attitude, a perceived arrogance and mental block preventing him from improving.
And in another similarity with former team-mate and potential future North London neighbour Aurier, there are some who think his potential has been lost in a haze of shisha smoke and an unhelpful entourage.
Kurzawa was even caught up in an attempted blackmail plot when footage emerged of him criticising France coach Didier Deschamps in a shisha bar.
The frustration with Kurzawa is that the opportunities have always been there, waiting for him to grab them.
The PSG left back position is still not nailed down, despite Juan Bernat’s solid performances.
And while France now has more depth in the left back position, form and fitness issues mean that a squad place is still within Kurzawa’s grasp – he even returned to the starting line-up last March, with all other options unavailable.
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A change of scenery is well overdue and a move to Arsenal could be the making of Kurzawa, who still has a good couple of peak years ahead of him.
Mikel Arteta’s preference for attacking full backs, who in practice play more like wing backs, should fit in very well with Kurzawa’s skill-set.
The man-management skills that Arteta has already shown will also help the Frenchman to knuckle down, helped too by friend and former team-mate David Luiz.
Removed from the PSG goldfish bowl, distanced a little from bad influences, and supported by a strong nucleus of French speakers in the Arsenal changing room, Kurzawa may have the chance to focus on his football again.
If Arteta can help him to develop a defensive rigour to match his natural attacking abilities, this could yet become a successful move for player and club.