OFFICIAL: Sead Kolasinac joins Marseille from Arsenal

Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith
  • Updated: 18 Jan 2022 11:09 CST
  • 3 min read
Sead Kolasinac playing for Arsenal, 2021/22
© ProShots

Marseille have announced the free transfer signing of defender Sead Kolasinac from Arsenal.

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Kolasinac's contract at Arsenal was due to expire in June 2022, but it was terminated by mutual consent, allowing Marseille to sign the left-back for free.

The same thing has happened with Skodran Mustafi, Sokratis, Mesut Ozil and Willian over the past 12 months at Arsenal.

Kolasinac played over 100 times for the Gunners following his move from Schalke in 2017, but has made just three Premier League appearances in the last one-and-a-half seasons.

Kolasinac, a Bosnia and Herzegovina international, spent the second-half of last season on loan back at Schalke, but couldn't prevent their relegation from the Bundesliga.

It marks another January outgoing for Arsenal, who have already let Ainsley Maitland-Niles join Roma on loan this window.

He will link up with a Marseille team who currently sit third in Ligue 1, 13 points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain with a game in hand. Kolasinac will join former Arsenal team-mates Matteo Guendouzi and William Saliba at the club, who are both on loan at the French side this season.

Kolasinac is Marseille's second signing of the January transfer window, after they signed Cedric Bakambu earlier in the month.

Kolasinac's time at Arsenal

After arriving from Schalke on a free transfer, the move for Kolasinac was seen as one with little risk by the Arsenal board, and he became a starter in his early days at the club.

He started 27 league games in his first season in England, 24 in his second, and 26 in his third. His debut season was impressive, but he failed to kick-on and Arsenal decided to sign Kieran Tierney as Kolasinac's replacement in 2019.

The difference between the Scottish international and Kolasinac has been sizeable, hence why the latter was loaned out to play senior football last season.

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