Arsenal: Manchester United race for Leon Goretzka has one winner

Arsenal and Manchester United are reportedly competing to sign Leon Goretzka. History tells us that there is only one winner, and it’s not good news for the Gunners.

With Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez seemingly set to leave Arsenal, whether it be in the upcoming January transfer window or at the end of the season when their contract expires, it is likely that the current make-up of this squad will change quite significantly fairly quickly.

Arsene Wenger will need to invest to acquire players of the necessary calibre to replace the outgoing Sanchez and Ozil. But such is the quality of the pair, there are not all that many players in world football capable of taking on such a mantle.

One name that has surfaced in recent months is fellow contract-expiree Leon Goretzka, who is seemingly nearing a Schalke exit in a very similar fashion to that of Ozil and Sanchez. And the German has now had his say on the encircling transfer rumours that have been flying around regarding his future. Here is what he had to say:

"“I have to find out for myself what the next step should be. I have to consider a million things. I am a person who is very meticulous in such decisions. I play through all the scenarios. So I need time. There doesn’t exist a deadline, but I think we are in the final phase. The final decision will be made in January.”"

The comments come in the aftermath of a report linking Manchester United with a move. Jose Mourinho reportedly sees him as the ideal partner for Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba in the heart of his midfield, adding a smoothness to United’s play when in possession. This is a transfer race that Arsenal must find a way to win.

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Goretzka is the ideal player to at least aid the impending departures of Sanchez and Ozil. Although he perhaps plays a little bit deeper than either of the pair, he has the cutting-edge creativity and ingenuity that very few others possess. His distribution is wonderfully precise, threading perfectly weighted passes into the channels, switching the play with accuracy and vision, rarely releasing the ball without a clear and definite decision made to do so.

But if history tells us one thing, it is that there is only one winner to this race. And it isn’t Arsenal. Wenger and the club have shown an inability to secure the high profile names time and time again. They hesitate, they umm and err, they dilly and dally. They are not decisive and convicted in their premonitions. Mourinho, on the other hand, is ruthless in his pursuit of new recruits.

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I would love to see Goretzka in North London. But I won’t be putting any money on it. If I’ve learnt anything, it’s to never trust this club in the transfer market. Unfortunately, this may just be another missed opportunity to add to the list.

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