Wolfsburg on Thursday evening issued a statement to rubbish former Arsenal target Julian Draxler’s claims after the player went public over his desire to move to a bigger club this summer.

The 22-year-old winger moved to Volkswagen Arena last summer but recently, in an interview with German publication Bild, said that he had reached an agreement with Wolfsburg to depart the club any time if “top international clubs” came calling. However, the Bundesliga club rubbished his claims, stating no such verbal or written commitments were made at the time of his transfer. They proceeded to claim that he would be allowed to leave next summer if his release clause (£62million) were met.

Arsene Wenger is keen to add a striker to his roster, but Draxler has not been linked with the club this summer. However, with their interests in strikers hardly amounting to anything so far, they might have turned to the German international, but Wolfsburg’s statement has averted any interest from the Gunners.

Only a few strikers are available in the transfer market, with big names such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gonzalo Higuain, and Michy Batshuayi having already moved to other clubs. Arsenal are now left with second-tier strikers such as Alexandre Lacazette, who will likely be a subject of a second bid from Arsenal in the coming days.

Theo Walcott recently revealed that he had told the manager that he would prefer to be deployed out wide. That leaves Arsenal with even fewer options up front. The need for an alternative or a competition to first-choice centre-forward Olivier Giroud will prompt Arsenal to wrap up a striker signing before the transfer window slams shut.



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Comments  

+1 #4 Macgooner56 2016-08-07 22:04
Now city want to offload Wilfred Bony I expect Wenger will see a cheap deal,it's not that we can't compete,it's simply that we won't,expect no more this season than last,
+2 #3 noelc 2016-08-03 23:41
I agree dcindc, Wenger wouldn't spend. Christmas . There are no recessions in football land, it's the modern equivalent of Shangri la . The going rate for players is dictated by the amount of money that club's are prepared to fork out. The game is now full of spivs , greedy agents and very average managers who buy titles and build reputations on *** and nieve owners money / Sky Sports money. As for the players ? Most of them are average ALL of them are way overpriced and overpaid. Wenger is stuck in a timewarp. He values a player in the old money not in today's "monopoly money" world that football inhabits. AFC is at a crossroads , it either goes with the flow and spends obscene amounts of money in the hope that winning the big prizes will offset the investment, or it can maintain the status quo and hover in the mid regions of the PL. Make no mistake, when the West Hams and Watfords of this world are able to compete with AFC in the transfer arena it's time to sit up and take notice. The clock is ticking and time waits for no man . Arsene Wenger has a lot of thinking to do .....tick tock, tick tock.
#2 Peter12 2016-08-03 23:36
Yes, I agree with the article and of course the previous comment. Although you never know with Wenger an his obsession with buying midfielders (to Draxler is a midfielder ala Ramsey) - he can't buy enough while what the team need a second striker alongside Giroud (since he is always no. 1 for Wenger). But if you play Giroud you need a second striker in the mood of Hernandez to do the scoring. i.e. You have to play 4-4-2 (or a version of it). But Wenger will not buy (or incapable of buying) a striker. If my suppositions are correct (and we don't get a new player in that position) then we should play Alexis there alongside Giroud. Why not? Then Ramsey (or Campbell) could fit in on the right, somebody like who is proper LW on the left (could it be Iwobi?)
#1 dcindc 2016-08-03 22:53
A media - created rumor has been squashed. Who could possibly have imagined that? Anyway, even if there was any truth to the rumor what makes anyone think Wenger would spend any more than 10 pounds for the player.