Record signing Mesut Ozil has not hit his peak yet for Arsenal and rumours of a swap deal with Schalke’s Julian Draxler are currently doing the rounds.
Tried on the left wing by Wenger with mixed results, the German playmaker was tried down the middle against Aston Villa and he played out of his skin, the performance of his Arsenal career so far.
Draxler looks another great midfielder, playing a key part in the Schalke 04 side at the moment, and a lot of Arsenal fans seem to rate the player who himself has admitted to a reporter from the Metro that he wanted a move to the North London club during the transfer window.
Draxler is two footed and known for his speed and intensity in a one-on-one situations. He can play on both wings and also as an attacking midfielder sitting behind the strikers (which is his most natural and comfortable position). Does that sound like someone we already know? Ozil also plays in exactly the same way, also known for his pace and ability to provide assists with his favourite position being just behind the striker which saw him work wonders for former club Real Madrid.
Do Arsenal really need this deal? Surely if Ozil is not reproducing the form which saw him get 55 assists in 159 appearances for Wender Bremen and 81 assists in 159 appearances for Real Madrid, then drafting in a like-for-like player who despite being very talented is not a better player than Ozil would prove pointless? So far Arsenal’s club record signing has 14 assists out of 45 appearances for Arsenal, which shows a much lower assist ratio in comparison to his previous clubs. Some Gunners fans are voicing their lack of patience on fan forums, suggesting that by now the player should have found his rhythm and settled down enough to reproduce the same form that had Wenger reluctantly paying £42.5million for him.
This to me shows how fickle some football fans can be. The player has done very well, although his style of play looks lazy, it isn’t. He’s just relaxed, and his movement off the ball and ability to read the game is second to none. What he does when he is on the ball is very clever as well, and he can pick out a defence splitting pass from anywhere on the pitch. Statistics do not count for a lot when comparing the ability of a player in a totally different league and environment from the one he originally came from. Not only that but, if you look at the Real Madrid side, he had a lot more strikers and attacking players he could provide assists for than he does at Arsenal, so the facts need to be looked at with some perspective and a pinch of salt.
Most Madrid fans showed a lot of disappointment and regret that he had been sold to start with. If he is good enough for them then Arsenal fans should definitely hold him in high esteem.
Once Olivier Giroud returns from injury and provides the Gunners with another attacking option alongside Alexis Sanchez, then we’ll no doubt see Ozil at his very best. The German is an asset to the club and a key player. Adding Draxler to the equation would certainly be a great bit of business for Arsene Wenger, playing alongside Ozil would prove a great thing for the player as they play together in the international side and come from the same football academy, which saw them both moulded into the players that they have become today.
A swap deal, however, is an awfully bad idea and one that would prove to be the worst bit of business of Wenger’s Arsenal career. To send Ozil away and replace him with exactly the same type of player, would be a massive step backwards, especially considering that he would have to go through a period of adjustment into the English game and has less experience than Ozil.
If Arsenal are not seeing the former Madrid player’s full potential at the minute, then what would they see from Draxler if he replaced him?
Keep Ozil and add Draxler to the squad. Go, Arsene. I dare you.
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