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How will Stephan Lichtsteiner contribute to Arsenal?

By Matthew Ciavarella

ST ALBANS, ENGLAND - JUNE 5: Arsenal Unveil New Signing Stephan Lichtsteiner at London Colney on June 5, 2018 in St Albans, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
ST ALBANS, ENGLAND - JUNE 5: Arsenal Unveil New Signing Stephan Lichtsteiner at London Colney on June 5, 2018 in St Albans, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal made Stephan Lichtsteiner their first signing of the summer last week. How can he contribute for the Gunners? 

Arsenal completed the signing of former Juventus full-back Stephan Lichsteiner on a free transfer last week. There’s not much a team can do to go wrong with a free transfer, but how is Lichsteiner, no spring chicken at 34 years old, actually going to contribute to Arsenal.

“I hope I can bring a lot of that (winning mentality),” Lichtsteiner told Arsenal’s website. “It’s a little bit of the same project that I did seven years ago with Juventus. Juventus also, for two times, didn’t qualify for the Champions League.

“I hope I can bring a lot of experience, a lot of mentality and together, with my team, come back to the highest level of the Champions League.”

Lichsteiner also got asked about whether his leadership and experience will play a key part in this upcoming season.

“At the end, it’s not too important to speak too much. The important thing is what you do on the pitch, that you are an example for the young players, for the old players, that everybody knows that this guy will help us.

“Like me also, I need to know that everybody helps me. This is the team spirit that we need to have, to have the confidence to give each other to help us.”

No one will benefit more from Lichsteiner’s help than Hector Bellerin, who has had almost zero competition for his starting spot since Mathieu Debuchy got injure early on in the 2014-15 season. Callum Chambers hasn’t panned out, nor has Carl Jenkinson.

The only competition Bellerin’s received came when Arsene Wenger switched to a back three, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got some time playing as a right wing-back. Even then, Bellerin got to play as a left wing-back ahead of Nacho Monreal.

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Finally, Bellerin will have a whole season of competition for a starting role, and from a player whose experience on the biggest stage he will surely learn from. Unai Emery won’t hesitate to use Lichsteiner, knowing he can handle the moment.

Lichsteiner may not be a key player on the pitch, but there are a lot of way he can contribute to a team in a significant period of transition.