January is fast approaching and with that comes another transfer window. Regarding German targets or German clubs involved in possible deals with Arsenal, we have Lukasz Fabianski in the headlines over the last week.
It’s no secret that he want’s to leave the club at the end of the season as there seems to be no way for him to get his hands on the number one spot between the posts. With that in mind, Schalke 04 are said to be interested in Lukasz’s services for next season. The club are in deep trouble at the moment with the Champions League knockout phase in major doubt and shock losses in the Bundesliga.
Schalke’s keepers Ralf Fährmann and Timo Hildebrand have come under fire in recent month and the club needs to strengthen. They have already signed Sydney Sam from Bayer Leverkusen in time for next season, according to kicker, but the goalkeeper situation is far from decided. There were strong reports that Schalke have already finalised a deal for Düsseldorf keeper Fabian Giefer. But the reports have been denied by Düsseldorf, at least regarding the 2013/2014 season.
Even if Schalke do sign Giefer, the door for a Fabianski deal is not closed in my opinion. Schalke are looking for a quick solution and a deal in January is not unlikely. Although Arsenal might only sell with a good second keeper lined up to replace him. But of course it needs to be taken into account that Fabianski is out of contract in the summer and could/will leave on a free. Nothing decided yet but Schalke will be the club to watch regarding Fabianski’s situation.
A lot people ask/Tweet me about the Schalke/Julian Draxler situation and if I think a transfer is likely. Yes I do think a transfer is likely although I don’t expect a deal to be done in January.
Draxler has a buyout clause of around £38m implemented into the contract he signed last summer. So you see where that journey is going. It’s the same procedure as with Mario Götze’s contract he signed with Borussia Dortmund a year before heading to Munich.
Draxler is a player with lot’s of potential who is being held back by this struggling Schalke team. He’s a Schalke boy as he has played for them since being a little boy, so it’s not easy for him to just leave. But as Manuel Neuer did several seasons ago, Julian Draxler will as well.
Draxler has realised that the current Schalke squad can’t hardly compete on an European or domestic level, a fact he talked about publicly with the necessary respect of course. I expect him to leave this summer with Arsenal among the possible destinations. As Arsenal are never a club to be overly active in January, I don’t expect us to make a move next month. I’m not even sure if the buyout clause only applies to summer transfer windows. So don’t get your hopes high on that topic.
Finally some words about the World Cup draw last Friday. You might have noticed that I’m no big fan of internationals or international tournaments, so I was not really paying attention to what was going on in Brazil last friday. But after the draw, which pitted Germany against Portugal, Ghana and USA, was made the German press was all about ” Oh what a difficult and tricky group” etc, a reaction I couldn’t understand. I mean what should Spain or England say? Germany has a very good squad (thanks in no small part to the Arsenal boys) and they should progress as group winners without a doubt. But as I said who cares. It’s all about the Arsenal.
With that in mind let’s focus on the difficult weeks ahead. #onegameatatime
Cheers,
Chris Mader
Mad, Jens-like, thirty-something German. Waving the Arsenal flag in Münster, Germany. Red member. Visiting Arsenal matches for more than 10 years now. Still fussed EasyJet won’t get me free flights. Always down N5 with my dad. Worked in London for about half a year. Started my own German Arsenal blog about two years ago. Expert on Bundesliga issues. BVB my local club.
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