PSG winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia would be the “perfect winger” for Arsenal, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.
The Georgia international has been in the news quite a bit in France in recent weeks after a report from L’Equipe suggested that his teammates were growing frustrated with his performances.
Kvaratskhelia, primarily a left winger, has often been used on the right by Luis Enrique, blunting his effectiveness. His decision-making and lack of impact in that position are said to have left PSG’s other players upset.
This, in turn, affected his confidence and attitude. However, since that report emerged, all parties involved have moved to play down any potential issues. Kvaratskhelia himself has emphatically made it clear that he is loving life in Paris.
Against Chelsea, the 25-year-old was moved back into his favoured left-wing position, and it paid off handsomely. He produced three goals and an assist across the two legs as the reigning European champions demolished the Blues.
Romano: Kvara would be perfect for Arsenal
Nevertheless, the rumours of behind-the-scenes problems sparked some transfer speculation. Numerous English giants will be in the market for a left-winger this summer, so Kvaratskhelia’s name has naturally emerged as an option.
Among the clubs to be linked with the Georgian are Arsenal. This has now prompted a response from transfer insider Fabrizio Romano. The Italian insists that a deal would be very “complicated,” but he acknowledged that the attacker would be “ideal” for the Gunners.
“Look, at the moment, the message from PSG is that Kvaratskhelia is not for sale,” he told GIVEMESPORT. “PSG only signed Kvaratskhelia almost 13, 14 months ago from Napoli. It feels like a long time, but it’s been just a bit more than one year, and they are super happy with Kvaratskhelia.
“Even when he’s coming off the bench, he’s making an impact. The player is super serious, super professional. The relationship with Luis Enrique is excellent, so I don’t think it’s going to be easy at all to find a solution and sign Kvaratskhelia in this summer transfer window.
“In the future, I think at some point, [the] Premier League could be a destination for Kvaratskhelia. But at the moment, the player is very happy in Paris. I don’t think this is going to be easy.
“Then, if you ask me if there is interest, of course, there is. For example, for Arsenal, he will probably be the ideal player, the perfect winger, but at this stage, it’s really, really complicated. I still expect Arsenal to go for a winger in this transfer window, but it’s complicated for Kvaratskhelia.”
Is Kvaratskhelia really ideal for Arsenal?
On the face of it, Romano appears to be spot on when he says that Kvaratskhelia is “ideal” for Arsenal. After all, the Gunners’ main options for that position are currently Gabriel Martinelli and the ageing Leandro Trossard.
Ask most Arsenal fans, and they would agree that the left wing is probably the one position in Mikel Arteta’s squad that can still be upgraded. However, analytics firm SciSports is not sure that Kvaratskhelia would really be the correct option.
SciSports does not believe that the winger would be a particularly good stylistic fit for Mikel Arteta’s approach. Arsenal are given a middling Club Fit rating of just 67 by SciSports’ Career Advice tool.
By contrast, his best two options, Real Madrid and Liverpool, receive whopping scores of 90 and 89, respectively. SciSports is also unconvinced that Kvaratskhelia would really be an upgrade on Martinelli.
While there is no doubt that the Georgian is more decisive in front of goal, Martinelli’s overall game is better suited to Arsenal’s approach. The signing of Kvaratskhelia could compromise the Gunners’ defensive structure.
With that in mind, it begs the question of whether it would really be worth it to shell out big money on what is essentially a luxury reinforcement. Kvaratskhelia currently has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €108.7 million, and it would likely require a fee in that ballpark just to get PSG to consider a sale.