Sead Kolasinac

Who is Sead Kolasinac?

Sead Kolasinac is a Bosnian left-back who plays for the Premier League club Arsenal and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.

He began his playing career in his hometown club, Karlsruher. After eight seasons of playing for Karlsruhe, Sead joined Hoffenheim, where he played a campaign before transferring to Stuttgart.

A year later, he signed for Schalke 04. After one season with the youth side, Sead was promoted to the second team in one of the German lower divisions, Regionalliga West.

After netting two goals in seven games, he was promoted to the senior team. On 15 September 2012, Kolasinac made his Bundesliga debut in a 2–0 victory over Greuther Fürth.

In June 2013, he extended his contract with Die Knappen to June 2017, but at the beginning of the following campaign, the defender tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of his right knee and was out for about six months.

He netted his first goal for Schalke on 13 December 2015, in a 1–1 draw versus  Augsburg.

Two years later, Kolasinac made the decision not to extend his contract with the club, thus ending his six-year stint at the German outfit At the end of the 2016–17 term, the player was voted in the Bundesliga Team of the Season.

In the summer of 2017, the Gunners confirmed the signing of Sead on a free transfer. He scored on his debut against city rivals Chelsea in the 2017 FA Community Shield, which the north Londoners won on penalties.

He made his PL debut on opening day, picking up an assist in a 4–3 win against Leicester City.

In December 2020, it was announced that Sead would return to VELTINS-Arena on loan for the remainder of the term.

In January 2021, he made his first start in the German top-flight in 1337 days, his side eventually won 4–0 against Hoffenheim.

Then, Kolasinac was appointed the team’s skipper under the manager Christian Gross. The following month, he scored his first goal for them since his return in a 5–1 defeat versus Stuttgart in the division.

What is Sead Kolasinac’s style of play?

Kolašinac is considered as a versatile defender who can fit all defensive roles as needed. At Schalke II, he was deployed mostly as a centre-half or defensive midfielder. Schalke manager Jens Keller used him mainly as a left-back.