Germany’s star forward, Julian Draxler, has put a lot of clubs on alert after his agent declared that the player will be leaving his current club at the end of this season. Draxler has long been a target of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as his quality and versatility has impressed the gaffer. Making his mark after progressing through the youth ranks of FC Schalke 04, the winger spent almost six years at the club making 170 appearances for them in all competitions scoring 30 goals in total.
The 23-year old was courted by some of the top clubs in Europe last year but somewhat surprisingly he opted to sign with Wolfsburg and stayed in his homeland. The move didn’t play out as expected with the player reportedly feeling unhappy within 12 months of arrival and in the winter transfer window, there was a bit of an unpleasant situation which was created when the player revealed that he wanted to leave the club in winter but the club blocked his move.
Speaking to German newspaper Bild, quoted by the Sun, he said, “The situation with me is that I made it clear to (head coach) Dieter Hecking after we were knocked out of Euro 2016 in the semi-final that I would like to leave Wolfsburg. When I joined, I was assured that I could leave the club whenever the opportunity arose. It was clear that Wolfsburg had good prospects, but also that they were a springboard for me. It was always clear to everybody that I would like to join a top club in Europe, if I were to get the chance.”
The German was fined by Wolfsburg for his comments and the relationship deteriorated even further. However, with his agent Fabio Parisi dropping a bombshell in an interview with Tuttosport claiming that his client will definitely leave his current employers at the end of the season, the saga hasn’t ended just yet.
There were claims in the winter that both Arsenal and PSG were willing to offer upwards of £55m for the dynamic winger and the Gunners can be the favourites to finally get their man this time around. It is true that there have been some changes at the club within the last few months with some good young players coming to the fore and now there is not a state of compulsion for the manager to go all out for a signing.
Nevertheless, Wenger has always maintained that he will not shy away from a signing if he feels that it would improve the team and Draxler certainly is one who fits that description.
Alex Iwobi and Alexis Sanchez are the two very good options on the left flank at the moment and Alexis has been utilised as a striker in this season so far. Draxler is primarily an inverted winger who likes to cut infield and run at opponents using his exceptional speed and dribbling ability. He will certainly bring in a lot more dynamism to the Arsenal lineup.
In terms of movement, trickery and finishing, there’s no denying the fact that Draxler is far more experienced and is an upgrade on Iwobi. Draxler’s inclusion will also allow Alexis to be utilised on a frequent basis as the striker without having to lose the cutting edge in the big games on the left-hand side.
Also, there can be a twist in the role as Draxler can be moulded into a centre-forward by Wenger given he has good finishing abilities.
Parisi in his comments said, “He will definitely leave Wolfsburg at the end of the season. He would’ve gladly run to join Juve and is the ideal trequartista for Allegri,” making it clear that Turin is a preferable destination for his client but according to Gianluca Di Marzio, Juventus are not interested in the move and Arsenal is the most probable destination for the player.
Draxler could be up for grabs at the end of the season and time will tell where he moves next but Arsenal will be a far better squad with the talented German Youngster in their ranks who would give the manager even more tactical flexibility.
