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

Julian Draxler, Schalke 04

• Age: 20
• Height: 1865cm
• Weight: 74kg
• Position(s): attacking midfield (center/left)
• Strengths: dribbling, aerial duels, long shots, finishing, through balls.
• Weaknesses: none.
• Odds: Betfred offers 1/5; Betvictor offers 1/10. transfermarkt.co.uk rates a move to Arsenal at 38%.

The case for him: Do I really have to state the facts? A quick run-down. Versatile. Dazzling. Already pressing for more international caps in a crowded German midfield. The rumors around Draxler coming to Arsenal have made for one of the hottest stories of the winter window. It’s even been rumored that we were more after him than we were for Özil. There have been comparisons to Bergkamp and to Henry, not in the sense of legends of course but in the sense of players whom Arsène might convert from a wide position to a more-central one. We’ve been salivating over him for some time now, and rightly so. In the short term, he could add depth and attacking verve to a midfield that is sometimes long on clever passes but too often short on finishing, whether in the air, from distance, or off the dribble. In the long term, he could become the kind of versatile striker who can both contribute to the build-up as Giroud does while also shifting more fluidly with the attacking midfielders.

The case against him: Hard to conjure, really, unless one is worried about spending big in two consecutive windows. His ruptured tendon is a concern, of course, but it’s been suggested that he might return in a week or two. This update might make a move for him even more urgent when we consider the various injuries to players like Ramsey, Wilshere, and Rosicky. It appears that I’ve run out of points to raise against him and am now transitioning back to the case for him. So it goes.

Long story short: Yes, please. He ticks a number of boxes, and the only legitimate complaint I could summon is the cost. However, he’s said himself that he’s keen on a move to Arsenal, and if we wait until summer, that £37m fee would only balloon as other clubs get interested. There’s been talk of packaging Podolski or Fabianski along with the fee, but it’s hard to get too worked up about funding in the week that we announced a record-setting deal with Puma (even though that money’s not officially available until summer).

We go into a fiendishly difficult stretch of matches once we get past Crystal Palace on Saturday. I don’t want to look past Crystal Palace. We saw how Chelsea—try to keep the schadenfreude under wraps—stumbled a draw. At home. To West Ham. West Ham. In other words, we can’t risk underestimating or looking past anyone to assess future fixtures. In the meantime, then, we’ll just have to see how the next few days pan out.