Arsenal: Julian Draxler ultimatum shouldn’t be a problem

Arsenal’s pursuit of Julian Draxler has reportedly hit an ultimatum. Sell Alexis Sanchez and he will sign. Sounds like a good plan, as the Chilean is set to leave soon anyway.

Arsenal‘s Alexis Sanchez situation is only going to get more tense. When Arsene Wenger admitted that he didn’t expect the Chilean to sign on for another year, it pretty much sealed the fate of the two parties. We would have to watch as he moved on next summer for free to the club of his choosing and we’d be left scrambling to find the right replacement.

Which, given Alexis’s skill level, would be impossible. It would be all about limiting the damage.

There are several names that would serve that purpose. Thomas Lemar, Emil Forsberg and Julian Draxler are the first three that come to mind. The former two have been ruled out of a move while the latter has, supposedly, made it clear that he will only join if Alexis leaves.

Personally, I don’t see where the hesitation would be there. Assuming this report is correct, which, granted, is never a given, then we have one of two options. We can let Alexis walk for free next summer and hope that Lemar or Forsberg is ready to be sold then, which is always possible but not a guarantee.

Or, we can sell Alexis this summer and use that money to pay for Draxler, with some left over.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

Neither is that appetizing. Mostly because both involve losing Alexis. But as that is a future that we are going to have to come to terms with anyway, I don’t see why we wouldn’t opt to choose where he goes next, namely PSG or Bayern Munich rather than Manchester City, and land a player that has been on our radar for awhile rather than letting him go to City and getting no guarantee in return.

Obviously Draxler is no Alexis. I don’t need to say that. But he is a heck of a lot closer to Alexis than the uncertainty of who we can find in the crunch. And if Draxler has a year and can’t jive, we can still grab Lemar or Forsberg next year and kick off a good old-fashioned bout of internal competition.

It’s all about damage limitation, as said. And in terms of which option would do the least damage, both now and in the long term, I believe that getting his exit over with and selling him now, when you can still dictate where he goes, while simultaneously getting a guaranteed, quality player in return, trumps the unknown and the powerless option next summer.

Next: Arsenal's 30 Greatest Players Ever

Of course, this is all assuming the report is correct, but still, the point remains the same. With how many times in the past Wenger has failed to identify the “right player” (when Cesc left, a defensive midfielder, a striker) do we really trust him to fill the Alexis gap with few leads next summer? I don’t. I’d much rather him get the sure thing now.

Home/Arsenal Transfer Rumours