Marco Reus has been plying his trade in the yellow of the Ruhr for the last 3 years, a kit strip which unfortunately he has never won a major honour in. However, he has been awarded with a number of personal accolades – a 2012 Germany Player of the Year and 2013 UEFA Team of the Year being part of that list. Before his current stint with Die Borussen, the 26-year old made waves as a breakthrough star in the Bundesliga with Gladbach, scoring 37 goals in 99 league appearances. Going into the 2015-16 season, he appears to be the best player on the continent who won’t be playing in Europe’s biggest competition next season, further adding value to his stock.
The German international is very versatile for a forward – whilst his home is on the left side, he can play behind the striker, on the right wing, and even lead the line himself. You can often see this similar versatility in Arsenal players – Alexis Sanchez can play in the same roles as Reus, Santi Cazorla can play from the heart of the midfield to the wing, and Jack Wilshere can play a similar set of positions to the Spaniard. This attacking sense he possesses is often identified by his tendencies to cut inside from the left side, onto his stronger right foot.
Often, it is seen that there are 2 different types of wingers. One type assists in the supply to the forward, and helps to “connect the dots” in the build-up of the attack. The other type is more of a goalscoring threat, finishing off the chances laid to him and overall playing a role much higher up the field. What’s unique about Marco Reus is that I feel he takes both these aforementioned aspects and embodies them very well, one of the few players in the world who can excel in this, and as a result has become one of the mostly highly coveted players in Europe’s top 5 leagues. This asset is essential to Arsenal and the way they play. His willingness to deliver to the striker and supply his fellow attackers fits in well with the famous passing play that Arsenal have adopted, and made so integral into their way of winning. But also, his deadly finishing offers not only threats from both flanks (Sanchez and Reus), but also a real clinical presence that Arsenal have missed for a good few years now. His pace will suit him on the counter-attack, a tactic Arsenal have refined and become deadly at recently, and he possesses abilities that a “traditional” winger would have, in regards to his crossing and key passes – both aspects which would aid the 6 foot 2 striker Olivier Giroud…
…which brings me on to my next point. The Arsenal faithful have clamoured for a striker in the last few years following the departure of Robin van Persie – and when you look at the last few sides that have lifted the league title, their main striker grabs at least 20 goals in that season – but with little less than a month to go, a striker appears unattainable. Martinez and Mandzukic have switched clubs, Benzema appears set to stay in white, and PSG insist on not selling Edinson Cavani. So perhaps, it’s worth looking at what signing an attacker, rather than a striker, could do to aid Arsenal’s goalscoring department. Olivier Giroud’s best aspect to his footballing game is his link-up play, his ability to bring other players into the forefront of the attack by holding up the ball and create space – a type of player that has worked well with Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez. If Reus were to be signed, Giroud would have an attacking line of Marco Reus, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to support – frightening, I know. The responsibility of the main goalscorer would be eased on his shoulders, and instead could focus on also supplying his fellow team-mates. Looking to the capital of Spain, Real Madrid have embodied something like that in recent years. Karim Benzema instead focuses on supplying Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, and despite his goals tally decreasing slightly, still remains a great player and been commended for how well the role was undertaken, and how he became a key figure in Real Madrid’s successes. Something similar, although to a lesser degree, could work here at N5.
I believe Reus would definitely want to join the current Arsenal project, because of the prospect of titles, something he is yet to have at Dortmund, and also because of the perhaps German-friendly squad. Following the departure of Jurgen Klopp, with a number of other exits on the cards, a player of Reus’ calibre would perhaps not want to be part of a side slowly decreasing in quality. Whilst some may argue that because the German signed an extension earlier this season, he wants to stay at Dortmund, although that could simply be a negotiating ploy by Dortmund chiefs to get a higher fee for the sale.
Marco Reus is arguably the best winger in the world who is available to buy this summer. Most definitely a catalyst to a first league title in over a decade, he fits the description of player Arsenal are striving for this summer and would be a fantastic addition.
