For the last 18 months or so, The Gunners have been strongly linked to Schalke 04 prodigy, Julian Draxler. At one stage in the summer of 2013, a deal looked like a sure thing. Unfortunately, it all fell through and the German ace ended up staying with his Bundesliga club.
Last season, I think it’s fair to say that Draxler wasn’t at his effervescent best. As Schalke struggled so too did he, as his attacking game proved to be slightly less potent than it had been previously. In 2013/14, he scored 13 goals. Last season he found the back of the net just 6 times, which will have been a disappointing return for the youngster.
But there have been signs that Draxler is finally getting back to something approaching his best form. There’s a good chance you’ll have seen that GIF that was produced after Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Schalke, where, Julian Draxler beats The Blues’ entire midfielder with a couple of touches and charges through on goal. If he can find his goal-scoring form again, he’ll prove to be a real asset for Schalke (or whoever snaps him up in the next transfer window).
This brings me to The Metro‘s claim that Arsenal are ready to step up their interest in the young German talent. The source even suggests that The Gunners sent scouts to watch the 21-year-old in action against Maribor last week. It’ll be interesting to see whether he performed well enough to merit an Arsenal bid.
Draxler has a £37m release clause written into his contract, so The Gunners know exactly what they need to do to win his signature. This is a huge amount of money, but given the player’s potential, it could prove to be an excellent investment. If he continues to improve at his current rate, he’s going to evolve into a world class player.
He’s already assured in front of goal and he’s got the ability to carve teams apart. Why wouldn’t Arsenal be interested?
What’s your take? Is Julian Draxler good enough to improve this Arsenal side? Is he worth £37m?
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