Matthäus Blasts Draxler, Should Arsenal Swoop?
Julian Draxler has been quite vocal about his future at VfL Wolfsburg this season. He has not been thrilled in the green and white and has repeatedly been saying that he wants to leave soon, giving the impression that he thinks he is too big for the club.
Draxler has been linked to Arsenal for years, with a rumour coming and going at least once each time a transfer window rolls around. With the window opening in a little less than a month, it is time for the rumour mill to start swirling. Germany legend Lothar Matthäus had some strong words on the 23-year-old attacker, and warned the north London club against signing him.
I would like to say that as a big club I would not want Draxler at the moment. Partly because of his weakness in character and, on the other hand, since he is a talent but has not yet proved it permanently at a high level.
The young midfielder/winger has not registered neither a goal nor an assist in the Bundesliga and has just one goal in all competitions. A more encouraging statistic is his 82% pass success rate, but it does not compare to the likes of Mesut Özil, who boasts a success rate of 87% on his passes.
He has shown flashes of brilliance at high-end German clubs like Schalke and Wolfsburg, but he has never been able to play exceptionally well consistently. Matthäus went on to speak on the financial impact of a potential deal for Draxler, criticizing the fact that his poor play and worse attitude have affected his transfer value.
“Also I do not believe that the sale of Julian Draxler will bring Wolfsburg more than [what they paid for him] despite his long-term contract. His market value has suffered severely in recent years.”
All in all, it clearly does not seem that Draxler is ready to make the jump from Wolfsburg to Arsenal based on his performances this season. There are plenty of attacking options in the current Arsenal team, and Arsene Wenger most likely does not want to fix his attitude as well as improve him as a player.
Sure, the Frenchman fixed the poor work ethic of Robin van Persie and made him into quite a player, but that was years ago when Wenger knew he had years ahead of him in north London. Now, it seems that he should focus on taking home as many trophies as possible before he leaves the Emirates.