According to SportBild, Borussia Dortmund are willing to offload Julian Weigl this summer. It is believed that the Black and Yellows value the German midfielder around €30 million and are prepared to cash in after spending almost €130 million in the ongoing summer transfer window.
And the report claims that Arsenal are among the clubs that were monitoring the situation of Weigl, who could be on the verge of a move away from Germany this summer.
Julian Weigl’s recent struggles at Dortmund
Weigl was considered as the next big thing in German football during his breakthrough in the 2015/16 season. But, his influence in the first team slowly started to dissipate following the departure of Thomas Tuchel. Injuries also played a part in minimising his overall game time at the club.
And following the arrival of Thomas Delaney and Axel Witsel last summer, Weigl moved down the pecking order in the recently concluded 2018/19 campaign. He made only 18 appearances in the league (via Transfermarkt), out of which, only five of them came in his desired defensive midfield position. The rest of the time, he was used as a makeshift centre-back due to the injuries of some of their key defenders.
But, Dortmund have fixed that too, with the acquisition of former club captain Mats Hummels. This, in turn, will further diminish Weigl’s role at the club. Hence, a move away from Ruhrpott makes sense for the 23-year-old.
What can Weigl bring to the table?
A defensive midfielder by trade, Weigl is essentially a deep-lying playmaker. He has an excellent passing range that not only allows him to augment the midfield but also switch the play with accurate cross-field passes. The ex-1860 star is wholly composed on the ball as well and rarely loses possession.
On the flip side, however, the Dortmund star lacks the physical attributes that are necessary for any holding midfielder. But, what he lacks in strength, he can make up for it with his remarkable positional awareness.
Should Arsenal make a move for Weigl?
Weigl is undoubtedly an exciting option for Arsenal as they aim to shore up their midfield this summer. But, the German’s lack of dynamism and physical attributes could become a problem, especially in the physically demanding nature of the Premier League.
The 23-year-old is also quite one-dimensional as far as his style of play is concerned and has often struggled against a high press, thus making him a risky option for the Gunners. And given the fact that his €30 million valuation could consume a chunk of Unai Emery’s slender transfer kitty this summer, it would perhaps be wiser for the Spaniard to look at other options in the market.
