How Would Transfer Target Julian Draxler Fit in at Arsenal?

Arsenal’s chase for attacking reinforcements has taken an intriguing twist with the news that Julian Draxler wants to leave Wolfsburg. With the Gunners running out of time to add goals and guile to their side, this could be a particularly good turn of events for Arsene Wenger.

After all, Arsenal have been tracking Draxler for some time. The club were heavily linked with a move for the Germany international in January 2014, and Draxler himself later admitted he had turned down the opportunity to move to north London.

He told the BBC's David Ornstein: "In January, there was the offer of Arsenal, but I decided to stay. I will do the same this summer. I want to play one year more in Schalke.”

Draxler did just that before moving to Wolfsburg in the summer of 2015. Now, after just one season at the Volkswagen Arena, he has itchy feet again. 

It had appeared he was set for a prolonged spell with his new club, but Draxler has denied those claims in an interview with German newspaper Bild (h/t Sky Sports' Rory O'Callaghan):

"

The situation with me is that I made it clear to (head coach) Dieter Hecking after we were knocked out of Euro 2016 in the semi-final that I would like to leave Wolfsburg. 

The coach has known about this for three weeks. It's very surprising that they have been talking about me to the media for weeks.

[...]

When I joined, I was assured - verbally - that I could leave the club whenever the opportunity arose. 

Both Hecking and (sporting director) Klaus Allofs said this. It was clear that Wolfsburg had good prospects, but also that they were a springboard for me.

It was always clear to everybody that I would like to join a top club in Europe, if I were to get the chance.

"

What’s also clear to everybody is that Draxler has the talent to grace that sort of stage. He showed as much at the Euros, when he was impressive in a Germany side that probably ought to have gone further than the semi-finals. He was particularly outstanding in their knockout-phase victory over Slovakia, conjuring a goal and a magical assist in a 3-0 win. 

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The assist showed off Draxler’s ability perfectly. A flurry of stepovers and shimmies saw him glide to the byline before he produced a teasing cross that Mario Gomez simply had to prod over the line.

Watching on, Wenger would surely have been impressed. Draxler was showcasing the precise combination of athleticism and technical excellence that the Frenchman so admires in a player. 

Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio believes that interest from the Gunners may be what prompted Draxler’s surprise outburst.

On his official website (h/t 101greatgoals' Benjamin Newman), he wrote: "Juventus have let the Germans [Wolfsburg] know that they are not interested in the player, contrary to what Draxler told Bild. It’s possible that Arsenal is behind Draxler’s will to move and not Juve, who are no longer interested."

Arsenal could certainly do with a player of Draxler’s quality. They are desperately lacking in firepower and have spent much of the summer trying to amend the situation. After a series of failed moves, time is running out for Wenger to land someone who can improve the Gunners’ attacking threat.

Draxler would certainly be a good fit for the style of the team. He’s shown in the Germany national side that he functions well in a fluid formation that enables him to interchange positions with other attacking players. What’s more, he already seems to have developed an understanding with Mesut Ozil. Great players typically find each other's wavelength, and so it has proved with Draxler.

In an inflated market, his age would certainly attract Wenger. The Arsenal manager would presumably have been taken aback at Juventus’ willingness to pay an extortionate €90 million fee for Gonzalo Higuain, who will soon turn 29. At 22, Draxler still has room to grow and develop—and, crucially, he retains some residual value. Given his potential to improve, acquiring him could be a very sensible investment.

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Where it becomes particularly interesting is trying to decipher how Wenger would use him. Thus far in his career, Draxler has looked most comfortable as a No. 10. However, the presence of Ozil in the international side has forced him onto the flanks. It would be the same at club level were he to switch to the Emirates Stadium. 

That is, of course, unless Wenger chose to use Draxler as a centre-forward. Now—as in 2014, when Arsenal were first linked with the young German—Wenger’s greatest need is a striker. Could it be that he is contemplating repurposing Draxler as a No. 9?

That seems all the more plausible with the news that Theo Walcott now wants to be considered as a winger rather than a striker. In a surprising turnaround, the England international said, per Sky Sports's Nick Lustig:

"

I want to make my position on the right - that's where I know where I am now. I've told the manager that I want to be known for playing on the right again, although I can play up front.

I want to know where I want to play. The manager has said I can play up front. It depends on what game it is. I know I can do a job up front as well as on the right.

"

If Walcott is returning to the right, Arsenal are in even more dire need of someone who can offer an option in the middle. Draxler could be that man.

It’s not a position he has filled with any regularity in the early portion of his career. However, it’s clear he has many of the requisite attributes to excel in that role.

He’s quick, powerful and has an immaculate first touch. He’s also a good striker of the ball, able to test goalkeepers from most angles. His two-footedness means it’s difficult to effectively close him down—he’s capable of swerving away from defenders in either direction before launching a shot at goal. 

Wenger has a good track record of converting wingers into prolific strikers. Thierry Henry served an apprenticeship on the flank before becoming the most feared forward in England under his fellow Frenchman's tutelage.

Perhaps a more appropriate comparison is Robin van Persie. The Dutchman started out on the flank at Feyenoord but was honed into a predator by Wenger. Draxler appears to share many traits with a young Van Persie—even the upright running style is eerily familiar. 

Since the Dutchman joined Manchester United in 2012, Arsenal have struggled to unearth a top-class goalscorer to replace him. Due to a lack of elite strikers on the market, perhaps Wenger is considering converting Draxler to make his own. 

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout 2016/17. Follow him on Twitter here.