With the first week of WTTGT in full swing it’s my turn to introduce myself. My name is Chris, or for people who follow me on twitter @germangunners. In case you follow my blog and/or tweets you may know that I’m always keen to get you an insight into weekly (Arsenal related) Bundesliga action.
As the Bundesliga is pretty much the center of attention at the moment, I will try to get you a weekly update on Arsenal targets, former Gooners in the Bundesliga and much more.
So lets get this started.
Last week has been dominated by Munich’s stunning transfer of Mario Götze from Borussia Dortmund. A transfer that gets even more delicate with both teams going head to head at Wembley at the end of the month. Götze has been a favourite of many Arsenal fans to fill the creative gap on the wing. And with a release clause in place it was just a matter of time until he would be snatched up by a big club in Europe. That it’s Munich is surprising to me as I would have never thought he would push for a transfer within the Bundesliga. But still after years of footy addiction there’s always a surprise when it comes to money.
So it’s time to focus on other targets. One of them definitely is Lars Bender. The Bayer Leverkusen player has been a longtime target for Arsene Wenger and has been scouted many times. Although I don’t get the point in scouting a player of his quality. But that’s how it works I guess. Bender could fill the gap Alex Song left when he thought that life at Barcelona would be better than in North London. Bender’s qualities are easy to summarise: Central defensive midfielder, link between defense and midfield, strong on the ball, good tackler, works his ass off for the creative bunch, can play the killer pass. He can also play in defense if necessary. He has been part of Germany’s national side for about two years now and I expect him to be a regular starter for Löws team in the upcoming years. He totally fits the bill for, in my eyes, the soft spot in Arsenal’s lineup. As I reported earlier this year Arsenal have made contact with Leverkusen but an offer hasn’t been made yet. The link seems to have cooled down a bit with Wenger being interested in this French guy from Lyon who’s name I can’t spell (Maxime Gonalons). I hope we put our focus back on Bender as he is what we need. As far as I know he has a release clause in place as well which should be around €15-18m . At least that’s what has been reported in Germany about half a year ago.
Some facts about Lars Bender:
Date of birth: 27.04.1989
Height: 1,84 m
Nationality: German
Position: Defensive midfield
Contract until: 2017
Another player I’d like to focus on is Rene Adler. It’s not a secret that we are looking for a new first-choice goalkeeper and the German international could just be what we are looking for. Adler was transferred to Hamburg on a free from Leverkusen last summer after falling out of favour due to a long term shoulder injury. With a Hamburg defense underfire all season, he has had enough time to proof that he is still one of the best keepers in Germany. And if you follow Bundesliga closely you might have noticed that he did just that. Showing impressive displays all season has earned him a comeback in Löw’s team against France. Adler embodies everything you look for in a keeper. He’s great on the line but can control the box without a loss in quality. And at 28-years-old, it’s just about time to take a last great step in his career. About €9-10m should be enough to get his service. Hamburg got him for free and are not really blessed moneywise plus qualification for the Europa League is a major doubt after Sunday’s draw with Wolfsburg. So if we show real interest it’s likely we get another German number one after mad Jens.
Some facts about Rene Adler:
Date of birth: 15.01.1985
Height: 1,91
Nationality: German
Position: Goalkeeper
Contract until: 2017
At the end of today’s column some injury related news. Poldi has been the centre of speculation over the last week. Mostly about his ankle injury and a possible interest from Galatasaray. In an interview for sky sports Germany he talked about his happiness about his first season at Arsenal and enjoying life at the club. A transfer is total rubbish.
Poldi confirmed that he has some minor problem with his ankle which has been treated by Arsenals physios over the last month including pain killers. As for now Poldi is sure he won’t need su rgery at the end of the season but will discuss it in two weeks time.
That’s it for this weeks folks. Hope you enjoyed my first piece here on WTTGT. Back next week. Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @germangunners if you not already do. Or check out my blog for further infos.
Cheers,
Chris Mader
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