Why Arsenal shouldn't sell Lukas Podolski for Julian Draxler

Lukas Podolski (L) and Julian Draxler (C)

Arsene Wenger was never a man who spent big on players. When his primary opponents go on a shopping spree, Arsene focuses all the resources at his disposal on nurturing young talent. The number of world class players moulded by Arsenal is astounding. The likes of Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott have all matured into top quality players under Wenger’s wings.

Arsenal did not start the 2013-2014 campaign well. A home defeat to Aston Villa enraged fans and forced the otherwise calm Wenger into hitting the panic button and securing a record breaking £42.5 million last minute deal for German attack mid fielder Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid. And they haven’t looked back since then. Arsenal currently leads the English Premier League over Manchester City and is carrying some serious winning momentum.

But the primary cause of concern for the team remains the lack of attacking options. Although Olivier Giroud hasn’t been very prolific in goal scoring, he is playing a crucial role in assisting the star studded midfield. His link-up play is very crucial to Arsenal’s success. But pandemonium will ensue the minute he gets injured. Theo Walcott is out with a knee injury for six months, and the underrated Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner is also sidelined for a while. That leaves Lukas Podolski as Wenger’s one and only striking option if misfortune hits Giroud.

Julian Draxler is a very talented and young German midfield player whose name has been linked with the Gunners for a January transfer. Some even suggest Wenger might be willing to let Podolski go if he can bag a deal for Draxler from his current German club Schalke. But that doesn’t make sense because what Arsenal needs is a short term fix for their striker problem. Draxler is a long term target and an excellent addition to any squad, but it’s much more likely that Arsenal will make a move in the summer instead of a hurried transfer which will see their only other striking option (Podolski) go. Draxler will inevitably take time to get used to the Premier League style of play and what Arsenal desperately need to win this year’s title is a goal-scoring striker. Their midfield consisting of Santi Cazrola, Mesut Ozil, Tomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey is any manager’s dream.

Another potential cause for concern with the Draxler move is a fight for a first team spot between him and Mesut Ozil. Both the Germans are attacking midfielders. Draxler gets first team opportunities at Schalke, and it’s questionable if he will want to come to Arsenal and play second fiddle to Ozil. Likewise, Ozil is a much hyped superstar who won’t be happy if he is asked to move over for the young pretender. If he asks for an immediate transfer to a rival club, not only will it hurt Arsenal’s pride but also render the tremendous amount of money spent on his transfer from Real Madrid useless.

But one can never say never in sports. Crazier things have happened in the past. All we can do is to wait and watch the drama unfold.