Should Wenger decide to stay at Arsenal and extend his contract that’s already on his table, this would be a pivotal summer transfer window for him. This summer could see Bacary Sagna joined by Nicklas Bendtner and Lukasz Fabianski, two players that are sure of leaving as their contracts expire this summer.
This ultimately means that should Wenger not decide to extend Emiliano Viviano’s stay, he will have to shop for a new goalkeeper. Sagna’s exit could see Carl Jenkinson rise to the upper echelons of first team football but with the likes of Seamus Coleman, Serge Aurier and Lukasz Piszszek available for the taking, Jenkinson’s wait for regular football might be extended.
However, Arsenal fans would be keen to see who the club brings to bolster it’s options in the central attacking position. After failed pursuits for Gonzalo Higuain and Luis Suarez, Arsene Wenger laid his eggs on an Olivier Giroud basket and when the Frenchman was found wanting the Gunners could only look to a Dane whose heart is fixed elsewhere and a young French untried and untested lad with some ‘potential’. For a club of Arsenal’s calibre, that’s not good enough.
This is a club that has seen great strikers like Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Nwankwo Kanu and Robin van Persie score goals with consummate ease. Now the club has a striker that blows hot and cold on the pitch and be has become a scapegoat for the fan’s frustrations off the pitch.
While the fans are eagerly anticipating a ‘big name’ this summer, the media vultures are reporting that Arsenal can sign this season’s Bundesliga sensation, Josip Drmic, for as low as €2.5 million if FC Nurnberg suffers the ignominy of relegation. Apparently, there’s a ‘clause’ in his contract that’s states that he can be available for that knockdown price if his club plummets into Bundesliga II mediocrity.
So the million dollar question is this : Who is Josip Drmic? :S
Drmic is a Swiss youngster that’s making waves in the German Bundesliga this season. As we all know, FC Bayern dominated the league this season and have set their sights on conquering Europe but while top dog, Mario Mandzukic, leads the scoring charts, Drmic is just behind the big Croat with 16 goals for struggling FC Nurnberg. For a player this young to get this large haul of goals in his debut campaign, a few eyebrows are bound to be raised.
Young, relatively unknown and technically astute. This guy has the ‘classic Wenger signing’ tag written all over him.
Josip Drmic, who began his professional career as a footballer at FC Zurich, made his league debut in 2010, having risen through the youth rank. He joined Nuremberg only last year, and has become one of the most prolific strikers in the Bundesliga in only his first season.
With the creativity at Arsenal’s disposal, a player like Drmic could benefit and his goalscoring haul this season has proven that he’s a good finisher, which would bolster Arsenal’s chances of scoring goals in games. The club can boast of Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott as it’s best finishers but both players can’t lead the line on their own.
Drmic’s off the ball movement will make him a thorn on the flesh of opposition defenders and he’s comfortable with both feet. He also has raw reserves of pace and for a player so young, his confidence and ability to play as a target man is exemplary. Which ultimately means that he could be a flicker and hold up player like Giroud but he also does his thing on the business end – clinical finishing.
To wet your appetites a bit, here are some clips of the lad’s exploits this season.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X3gpO8MUaeM
Whether Wenger takes the punt on the young lad remains to be seen, but if be does, I firmly believe that it would be a move worth its weight in gold.
Sayonara.