Arsenal Learn Worrying Julian Brandt Transfer Fee

Arsenal have learned Borussia Dortmund’s asking price for Julian Brandt.

No Arsenal fan wants to hear that the squad rebuild placed in front of Mikel Arteta will take multiple windows to complete.

There are no quick fixes in football. At least not those that tend to short-term needs as well as long-term ambitions. Arsenal, having found a solution to their creative woes in recent weeks, are under no illusions that the options available to them will put transfer plans on hold or shelved entirely.

Not just one but two creative options are needed to sculpt the foundations for sustained success, hence why links to every available option have been dominating the headlines this January. Rightly so, Arsenal can’t rest on their laurels and ease off transfer plans.

Key among those rumoured is Julian Brandt.

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The German has been a peripheral figure at Borussia Dortmund this season despite enjoying a strong finish to the previous campaign – his first for the club since joining from Bayer Leverkusen for €25m that summer. Five assists in his final nine Bundesliga matches hinted towards a similar run in the current season, but Dortmund’s indifferent form coincided with a drop-off from the 24-year-old.

Making the starting lineup just six times in the league this term and playing 90 minutes just twice in all competitions, his stock had dropped quite considerably. A player who the Gunners were previously keen on prior to his move to Die Borussen, he’s struggled for consistency since.

Arteta yearns for players who aren’t confined to one specific job role. In his system, no one player can coast through without shifting their position to match the opposition or the specific phase of play, thus someone adept at playing a number of positions suits greatly.

Already this term, Brandt has featured on either wing, in both central midfield and attacking midfield and even as a false-nine/centre-forward. Reports are that he’s willing to leave and Arsenal are Dortmund won’t stand in his way.