Arsenal are on their way to lose another transfer battle as Monaco’s Thomas Lemar is expected to sign for Liverpool after a breakthrough in talks. The Gunners were chasing the Frenchman all summer but failed to land the 21-year-old. However, that opens the door for another transfer possibility, as Arsene Wenger is reportedly interested in bringing Julian Draxler as an alternative to Monaco’s Thomas Lemar.
The Gunners have taken the necessary steps in inquiring about the German International but face strong competition from Borussia Dortmund and even, Bayern Munich. But will he be a successful addition to Arsenal?
Amidst the transfer rumours surrounding the possible departure of Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City, Arsenal have been left dawdling on the transfer market, to sign a replacement. In fact, Mesut Ozil is now linked with a move away from the club with German giants Borussia Dortmund interested in his services. Therefore, securing at least one attacking star this summer is of paramount importance.
Julian Draxler has found it difficult to settle down, after leaving his home club Schalke a few years ago. The 23-year-old moved to Wolfsburg but left for PSG after a season, with the Wolves. Now at PSG, he faces a daunting task of overcoming Angel Di Maria and new signing Neymar, amongst all the other talented wingers, in order to find substantial gametime.
A clever man will find it hard to bet against the possibility of Draxler not leaving the French giants come the end of this summer transfer window and that’s where Arsenal come into the fold.
The early season scars have already signalled Arsenal’s mishaps in the attacking department. The Londoners currently lack reinforcements in the attacking department. If Alexis Sanchez leaves, only Alex Iwobi and Theo Walcott will be left, as proper wingers in the team.
Julian Draxler, on the other hand, has been known for his talents ever since he had a breakout season with Schalke six years ago. Many experts hail him as the next big thing in German football. Although his progress has stalled in the last couple of years, Draxler still possesses a significant amount of talent and at just 23, time also favours the former Wolfsburg winger.
He scored 10 goals in 25 appearances for PSG last term, after joining from Wolfsburg in January. Draxler is fast and can be very tricky for the opposition. His dribbling skills combined with a box of trickery lends him an upper hand among his competitors. That being said, Draxler can also be very productive in the final third. The German International has scored 23 goals in the Bundesliga but most importantly, he also bagged 26 assists to his name in the German top flight. His link-up with Mesut Ozil will be one to watch out for since both the players, more or less resemble the same kind of playing style, when it comes to chance creation in the final third, albeit Ozil is more complete in that regard.
Last but not the least, Draxler, despite aged just 23, has loads of experience to go with him, which in truth, makes him more likely to succeed in the Premier League than Thomas Lemar. Draxler has played 150 Bundesliga matches, and almost 300 games all competitions. He also showed his leadership skills, when he captained his nation to win the recent FIFA Confederations Cup this summer. Not did he only lead his side to glory, but also ended up as one of the finest players in the tournament.
All things considered, Julian Draxler and Arsenal seem to be a perfect match and a reported fee of £32m seems fairly low for a player of his calibre and experience. However, the only drawback will be his inconsistency throughout the season, otherwise, he will be a great acquisition for the Gunners.
