Why Draxler IS the answer to our striking needs. 

25/01/14

There is lots of speculation at the moment regarding the potential for The Arsenal to sign Draxler. For me this is very exciting, as it is clear that this is an extremely talented player, yet another to be produced by The German football system. Whether we sign him or not this month or indeed in the subsequent Summer Transfer Window remains to be seen, however I believe this can genuinely be the final piece in the jigsaw. I will show you why!

I know what you are thinking, you're thinking that Draxler is not a striker, and of course you're correct, he's not! However I believe that there is more to it than that. There has been talk of him being converted into a striker by Le Boss, in the same way that Henry and Van Persie (I promise not to mention that name again in the rest of this article) were converted into strikers, by Arsene. However for this season at least, I do not see that happening. Instead I believe that by signing yet another midfield player, Wenger will be allowing someone who is already at the club to be available as a CF more frequently: Lukas Podolski!

Since Poldi has been at the club he has been deployed almost entirely as a left-winger (despite the fact his debut for Arsenal was at CF vs Sunderland) and, contrary to what some people in the media try and make out, he has been by in large very effective there. He has also played most of his career for Germany (over 100 caps) in that position. However I think it is fair to say he is not a naturally winger. He is not gifted with great pace, nor does he posses great skill to beat a defender one on one out wide, but he is a great goal scorer. For me he is the best "finisher" we have, closely followed by Walcott. For these reasons he is more suited to playing as a striker, rather than as a winger.

Why is this relevant to the Draxler situation, I hear you ask? Well, if Draxler is signed that will add yet another option to our already extensive quality in the midfield area. This would mean in my opinion that Podolski would struggle to get into the team on the wing. When you consider that we have the likes of: Wilshere, Ramsey, Arteta, Flamini, Cazorla, Ozil, Rosicky and Chamberlin, who are all midfield players. Add to that Draxler, and Podolski would in my opinion not get anywhere near the team as a winger. Therefore for me, Draxler enables the boss to have yet another option at CF, and allow us to rotate Giroud and Podolski around as CF, and keep them fresh for the rest of the season in our push for the league title.

However it would be fair to say that Podolski has NOT set the world alight when he HAS been deployed as a CF, in the absence of Giroud, on a number of occasions. But, he has never been given a run in the side there. For me, it is clear that Podolski can do a great job there, he just requires good service, which with our midfield that shouldn't be an issue. You have to remember that he played as a striker for us more often last season than he has this season, and this season our creativity and midfield options are much stronger. When you consider what I have already mentioned, namely the fact that he is a fantastic finisher, you feed him the ball in the right areas, I guarantee you he will score a hatful. Giroud has been fantastic for us this season, but he cant do it every game as has become clear in recent weeks. Podolski can rotate with him effectively and enable us to keep two strikers fresh.

The signing of Draxler therefore makes sense to me for a number of reasons. 1) he is a great talent, he would add more quality to our team, 2) it would enable us to keep our current striker, Giroud, fresh by enabling Podolski to rotate with him and 3) thirdly, he can genuinely help us to maintain momentum and win the league. The only issue I have with this signing is how, when it comes to next season, the likes of Walcott will fit back in. You add Theo back into the equation, when he has recovered from that hideously unfortunate injury he has suffered, and we have an embarrassment of riches. Something would then, in my opinion have to give. And someone in our midfield would have to go. Who that would be, remains to be seen. But for now, I believe this would be a great signing as we would be getting one of the hottest properties in European football. Make no mistake about it, Draxler is very very highly regarded. And it is exciting for Arsenal if we do manage to get him, now or indeed in the summer. YES Arsene Wenger said last night that it was an "illusion" that we were in talks to sign him. But, come one we all know that Arsene is the "king of poker". He NEVER gives ANYTHING away, and I love that!!!!! I expect to see us sign him.

UP THE ARSENAL!!!!! 

@Mr_arsenal_blog