Arsenal full-back Bacary Sagna recently revealed that he welcomes the challenge of Carl Jenkinson, as it would provide healthy and friendly competition for the right-back position.
This comes after Carl Jenkinson made his debut in Arsenal’s 4-0 demolition of Malaysia XI and impressed everyone with his display on the clubs tour of Asia.
However, Sagna made a late cameo appearance in the first fixture and reminded everyone of his quality in the little time he had.
Jenkinson was signed for around £2 million this summer by Arsenal and Wenger must have been delighted with his showing last Wednesday and yesterday against Chinese outfit Greentown.
Following the 19-year-olds performance against Malaysia XI, Sagna had words of appreciation for the youngster and declared that he was happy with the challenge the new boy will provide him this season.
Sagna stated:
‘I don’t have anything to teach Carl, I just need to give him as much confidence as I can. We are all going the same way, we are all looking forward, and [having him here] is good for me because he will be an opponent [in the right back spot] but a friend as well.’
‘I hope he will do well this season and I wish him all the best.’
It’s always great to have competition for places in the team because it keeps everyone on their toes. Players will be aware that bad performances will mean losing their spot in the team and hence will try to push their game to the next level. It’s also very nice to hear an established player like Sagna welcoming a youngster and taking on the challenge he will provide sportingly.
As for Jenkinson, is he ready to displace Sagna from the right-back slot? Well, going by his performance on Wednesday, the Finnish Under-21 international definitely has the capabilities. He is another of those players who has the qualities to make it big at Arsenal. He is a well built guy and his tackling was pretty good. He has a lot of pace and tried to get forward at every opportunity against Malaysia XI.
Personally, he seems to be a lot better than Sagna going forward. He dribbled well, made a few good passes and delivered decent balls into the penalty area…and he is only 19. With time on his side, he is bound to improve under the guidance of Arsene Wenger.
Despite his evident talents, it is a little soon to pass judgement on Jenkinson. He has played only two games in an Arsenal and in non-competitive fixture. Consistency is a key attribute for defenders to have and Jenkinson will need to show this throughout the season. Also, the quality of teams Arsenal will be playing throughout the season will be of a higher level. His performances in the Emirates Cup could be a pointer to how good he really is. How he balances between defence and attack in a team like Arsenal, where full-backs are important elements going forward, needs to be seen against teams of better quality.
The 28-year-old Frenchman is Arsenal’s best defender and it will not be easy for Jenkinson to topple him.
The youngster still has a lot to learn and Wenger will make sure he learns it slowly and of course in the right way.
Jenkinson is a bright prospect but for the foreseeable future, Sagna looks to be the main man at right-back.
Written by Vivek Arulnathan for FootballFancast.com. Like what you read? Then follow me on Twitter – http://twitter.com/gunnerviv
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Sagna is good but he needs a back up jenkilson wil vice him as he grows
I don’t think he needs to fear in the short term. Hopefully this will push him to up his game even further.
You’ve got to love sagna, he got kicked all over the place last season but never dropped his game.
We should not forget that Jenkinsons can also play in the CB postion and i will like wenger to try him there, might just be what we have been looking for.