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.

Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt Asking Price

As per football.london, Dortmund would be willing to strike a deal at €25m (£22.5m/$30.7m) for Brandt in January. Presumably he does not feature in Edin Terzić’s plans, a stance backed up by his bit-part role this season under the new boss. Other sources state this figure to be closer to €40m (and even more), but this is just Due Borussen flexing their muscles.

On face value, that is a relatively cheap option for any club looking for a jack-of-all-trades midfielder, one with international experience and at an enticing age. There is definite room for improvement with the German who needs to find consistency through a regular run of games, so it’s no surprise Arsenal are keen.

Putting two and two together, one has to question why Dortmund would be willing to sell a player whose deal runs out in 2024 for the exact same fee they bought him for.

There is cutting your losses, then there is wanting the same figure you paid 18 months ago despite such a healthy length of contract remaining. For that figure, all of Europe should be swooping in if he’s truly at the standard required.

https://twitter.com/ArsenalFC_fl/status/1346161977194917888

In many ways, it’s almost too low to miss out on. It’s still up in the air just how good he is, or can be in the Premier League, yet isn’t that a tantalising enough sum to want to know?

Arsenal aren’t in a position to take huge gambles in the transfer market. At £22.5m Brandt wouldn’t be a huge risk, but that’s impossible to quantify. What if Houssem Aouar is available in the summer and Arsenal are short in cash? How foolish would that then look having signed someone who can’t get minutes for a struggling Dortmund team?

There are undoubted positives with Brandt, just as there are negatives. If he is the player to swoop in for then it’s with the long-term vision in mind. At what point do you give have total trust in the recruitment department?

However, it’s important to note where others stand on the matter. Heeding advice, or simply observing others’ actions, can tell a lot.

Take a Leaf Out of Bayern Munich’s Book

[insert infamous Ivan Gazidis quote]

Arsenal are so far off Bayern Munich it’s frightening. The calibre of player that either club can aim for, and indeed the calibre of player that either club possesses, is miles apart. No discussion about that.

However, Bayern are an elite side because they make wise decisions in the transfer market and it was their call to opt out of a move for Brandt when Bayer Leverkusen were selling – he was deemed to be lacking the right mentality or consistency to cut it at the Allianz Arena.

Considering the gap, are Arsenal in a position to be turning their noses up at a £22.5m player who was once on Bayern’s radar? Being realistic about where they are, perhaps not.

Bayern, however, don’t miss. They recruit efficiently and well, even opting against signing Nicolas Pepe as he was classed as needing too much space to be effective in a side that sees the majority of the ball. They weren’t wrong on that one.

Moving away from the best football team in the world, the lack of interest from elsewhere, at least to public knowledge, doesn’t bode too well either. Balanced out with the minimal asking price, and you’re left in slight limbo.

Affordable, yes. But only affordable because Dortmund are happy to ship him off at break even despite having over three years left on his contract. Furthermore, he was turned down by one of the best scouting departments in Europe who love plucking the best German talent from the Bundesliga.

It’s tough to judge a player who’s barely featured this season, and there is every chance the Premier League would suit him, but on this case there are more than a few alarm bells to take note of.