We are less than a week away from the return of the Premier League, and after a successful preseason, Arsenal look raring to go.
Mikel Arteta's side wrapped up their summer preparations with a comfortable 2-0 win over French giants Lyon, in which several first-teamers looked seriously impressive, including club talisman Bukayo Saka.
The Hale Ender has only just returned from his short break following the Euros but already looks like a threat. However, to get the most out of him this season, the club must avoid repeating their mistake of playing him into the ground in the last few campaigns.
Fortunately, recent reports have linked the Gunners to one of the most exciting wingers on the continent, who would be the ideal player to provide the Englishman with some extra competition and help the club avoid problems that stem from too much game time.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Football Insider, Arsenal are 'plotting a shock move' to land Bayern Munich star Kingsley Coman this summer.
Interestingly, the report has revealed that the Gunners do not intend to purchase the experienced winger but instead secure his services on a season-long loan.
The bad news is that the German club would require the North Londoners to either agree to an obligation or option to buy in at the end of the loan to complete the deal. The good news is that if it's the latter, Edu Gaspar and Co should still have room to return the Frenchman should he not impress in England.
Moreover, the report claims that the serial league winner is keen on the idea, meaning this deal could be completed relatively quickly.
Why Coman would be a great signing
One of the benefits of signing Coman this summer is that he's more than capable of playing off the right or left of a front three. This means that he could also offer some extra competition to Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, in turn offering Arteta yet another option in attack.
However, the primary reason the Gunners should look to bring the Champions League winner to the Emirates in the coming weeks is that he could be the perfect competition for Saka and, therefore, the first player to genuinely allow the Englishman a chance to rest during the season.
Now, it should be clarified that as talented as the former Juventus gem is, it's incredibly unlikely he'd join up with the squad and displace the Hale End superstar from the starting lineup.
We don't think there are many wingers in world football that Arteta would pick over the North Londoners' poster boy, but the Munich star is more than good enough to play substantial minutes over what is set to be an incredibly congested season.
For example, while he only made 27 appearances and played 1737 minutes of football last season, the 28-year-old still racked up five goals and three assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 3.37 games or once every 217.12 minutes.
Appearances
35
Minutes
2173'
Goals
9
Assists
7
Goal Involvements per Match
0.45
Minutes per Goal Involvement
135.81'
Appearances
27
Minutes
1737'
Goals
5
Assists
3
Goal Involvements per Match
0.29
Minutes per Goal Involvement
217.12'
Moreover, in the campaign prior, the Paris-born star, whom former Bayen Sporting Director Matthias Sammer once described as "one of the biggest talents in European football," found the back of the net on nine occasions in 35 appearances while also providing seven assists, equating to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.18 games.
Ultimately, there really is no downside to signing Coman on a season-long loan this summer, and if Arsenal can negotiate a deal that does not include an obligation to buy, then they should absolutely bring the Frenchman to the Emirates this summer. His quality would allow Saka to get some genuine rest during the season and maintain a higher level throughout the campaign.
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