Could we sign Draxler — and get Vucinic and Tello on loan?

Mirko Vucinic, Juventus

• Age: 30
• Height: 186cm
• Weight: 76kg
• Position(s): attacking midfield (left), forward
• Strengths: through balls, key passes.
• Weaknesses: holding on to the ball.
• Odds: no betting odds. transfermarkt.co.uk rates a move to Arsenal at 39%.

The case for him: Like Tello, we’d be looking at loaning him in, so the financials are minimal to nonexistent. When he’s on his game, he can be a prolific scorer, a man with a nose for goal. Like Tello, he’s been marginalized by other, higher-priced and perhaps more-consistent and prolific scorers. In Vucinic’s case, this would include Llorente, Tevez, and Quagliarella. Even in a 3-5-2 system (two forwards), Vucinic has struggled to find time on the pitch and would welcome a move that would give him more playing time. He brings a bit more height to the pitch and could therefore fill in as needed as a striker for Giroud. That’s an attractive possibility as it does more-directly address one of our pressing short-term needs.

The case against him: He strikes me, at best, as a short-term stop-gap. Whereas a loan for Tello—young, hungry, talented—feels forward-thinking, even aggressive, a loan for Vucinic feels a bit flimsy or paltry. I feel like we’d be better-off grooming Podolski for a striker’s role. Vucinic is cup-tied, having played a grand total of 35 minutes in the Champions League. He’s apparently a bit of a loose cannon, prone to occasional lapses of concentration or temper. While he’s earned a reputation for scoring vital goals, he’s also been criticized for failing to score as often as he could or should, disappearing or fading when his club might otherwise look to him for a goal. That, and the fact that he can’t seem to crack the lineup at Juventus, despite being one of four forwards in a two-forward lineup, suggests that his best days might be behind him.

Long story short: Meh. Who am I to oppose a loan that might help us to address a pressing need? He might just go on to prove me wrong, reclaiming the form that drew Juventus’s interest in the first place. He’s had a few seasons of 12-15 goals; maybe a move would do him good. For all I know, the loan’s already gone through.