Arsenal: Max Meyer a conspicuous no-show in summer plans

Arsenal seemed like they were on a collision course to land Max Meyer for a free, but everything has gone so sour so quickly.

Arsenal’s summer plans are coming together rather quickly in some arenas. If you buy into Granit Xhaka‘s ‘likes’ as viable forms of confirming a transfer, then both Sokratis and Caglar Soyuncu are on their way to North London. My thoughts on this manner have been explored ad nauseum, so I won’t get into it here.

Jean Michael Seri is also being touted as a target. But in order for Seri to make sense for a £35m fee, we would first have to consider any and all candidates who are just as good, but cheaper.

There aren’t many, but there is one that is a full £35m cheaper – Max Meyer.

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The Schalke midfielder (for another week or so) was banished from Die Knappen’s first team after he made it clear he would not be signing a new deal with them, choosing instead to follow Leon Goretzka out of the door.

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This seemed to open a huge door for the Gunners to swoop in and nab a Santi Cazorla/Jack Wilshere-esque midfielder with all the potential in the world. It seemed like the perfect solution.

But the chatter died abnormally quickly. Here we are, not even in June, and it’s being reported that Meyer has made an incredibly questionable career choice and jumped one place down in the Bundesliga table, joining Hoffenheim.

If Arsenal was on the table, and I can’t see why it wouldn’t be, then this is an incredibly dubious move. Perhaps Meyer didn’t enjoy playing that pivot role that he had been thriving in under Domenico Tedesco after all.

This is all rather bothersome because of the solution it would have been. If this limited transfer budget is to be believed, and why wouldn’t it be, then nabbing Meyer on a free would have created so much room to explore other options. Like Leon Bailey, for instance, who has similarly disappeared from all talk.

Until the transfer window opens, nothing can be made official, but initial rumors are less than encouraging. The Gunners need more than two questionable centerbacks thrown into their midst, and a lot of the ‘more’ options are falling by the wayside.

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But again, the window isn’t open yet, and Sven Mislintat is on the case. So surely we still have a lot to look forward to.