Arsenal Suffer Killer Blow in Julian Brandt Pursuit

Arsenal have suffered a blow in their January pursuit of Julian Brandt.

One of the names claimed to be in the running to solve the creative midfield concerns at Arsenal, Julian Brandt has become the talk of the town.

The German has had an underwhelming season at Borussia Dortmund off the back of a solid first campaign at the Westfalenstadion, losing his place in the side under both previous boss Lucien Favre and current manager Edin Terzić.

Earning just 955 minutes of playing time and used almost solely as an late substitute, his future has been unclear despite still being under contract to Dortmund until 2024. Talk of a permanent departure, and even a loan, has emerged as a result, with Arsenal the side most heavily linked.

Emile Smith Rowe has been in exemplary form since battling his way into the senior side, with a balancing act needed to ensure his development remains unspoiled while also providing him with the help he needs to bear the creative mantle.

Adept in a number of positions, ranging from a No. 8 to a centre-forward, Brandt has been earmarked as someone who could enter the fray and continue to improve under the right mentor. He’s still only 24 years old and boasts undoubted quality, even if his inconsistency in 2020/21 has damaged that reputation.

Arsenal have been tracking Brandt for quite some time which has helped spike the speculation, although their efforts have suffered a blow following Die Borussen’s recent 3-1 win over RB Leipzig.

As hard as a January deal would have been, it’s now been dealt a hammer blow.

Borussia Dortmund Set to Keep Julian Brandt

As per usual this season, Brandt took up his place on the Dortmund bench as his side traveled to RB Leipzig for a top of the table Bundesliga clash.

Regular central midfielder Axel Witsel tore his achilles tendon during Dortmund’s win on Saturday, a hammer blow in itself to the promotion chasers who will now be without the Belgian for the remainder of the season, with surgery needed to repair the damage.

Thomas Delaney, Emre Can, Jude Bellingham, Brandt and Mahmoud Dahoud are the other options in Terzić’s favoured double pivot system, and while there were suggestions that the club may dip into the market to compensate for Witsel’s long-term absence, sporting director Michael Zorc has insisted they won’t be active.

"“We will fill this void with our own personnel,” he told Sport1. “Emre did very well after stepping in as a like-for-like replacement for Axel, and Jude will be back from injury next week. We are not worried about this situation.”"

While Brandt may have only moved up one place in the pecking order, he is certain to earn more minutes this season as the club battle on multiple fronts. Central midfield is an area he’s played numerous times before and his experience of the role is certain to bring an end to any chance of a mid-season departure.

How serious Arsenal were about the deal, or indeed if they had their sights set on a summer move anyway, is now fairly irrelevant. A tough deal to pull off in the first place, a page can be turned on Brandt until the end of the season at the earliest and focus turned elsewhere.