Sami Khedira came into the spotlight when he shined like a bright star in the 2010 FIFA World Cup for Germany. Bearing in mind that he was filling in for the injured Michael Ballack, he excelled admirably. Coming through the youth ranks at VFB Stuttgart, Khedira was part of the Stuttgart side that won the Bundesliga in the 2006/07 (many thanks to Mario Gomez goalscoring exploits) and almost made it a double but they lost to Nuremberg in the final of the DFB Pokal that season. Real Madrid won the battle for his signature and he featured consistently for them notching up a whopping 126 appearances for the Spanish giants in his first three seasons.
He suffered an ACL injury in November 2013 and he did well to make it in time for Germany’s 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign, where he got in the scoring act when the Germans decimated the host nation in the semis. This season, the emergence of the new lynchpin in the middle, Toni Kroos, has seen Khedira get limited game time but he has still managed to notch up 17 appearances.
The German signed a five-year contract when he joined the club in 2010, which ultimately means that his current deal is set to expire this summer. In an interview with German magazine, Kicker, Khedira has revealed that he will leave Real Madrid on a Bosman when he deal runs out at the end of the season,
“It’s not a decision against Real Madrid. I want to start a new stage in my career and continue to grow.
There’s no agreement with anyone nor do I have a preference to go anywhere at the moment.
I’ve had a magnificent time in a magnificent team. I’ll do everything I can to keep helping the team in the coming weeks.”
Arsenal have been long-term admirers of the midfielder and getting him on a free transfer would seem like a fantastic piece of business. However, Arsenal isn’t the only club that are monitoring Khedira’s progress. Schalke 04 would want the German to come back home and according to Marca, Chelsea and some Serie A teams are also interested in getting his signature.
Here is a preview of the kind of qualities he would add:
There have been whispers of the Gunners agreeing a deal ‘in principle’ to sign Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlein but I’m sure the prospect of getting a talented footballer like Khedira for next to nothing would be an interesting prospect for any manager, yet alone Arsene Wenger. He’s a dynamic box-to-box midfielder that can also do a decent job in holding midfield and if he signs for the club, he’d give Francis Coquelin a run for his money and in a game where the Gunners want to be ultra-defensive, deploying the Coq and Khedira in front of the back four would ensure that things are water-tight in the middle.
So here’s the million dollar question – should Arsenal go for Sami Khedira?
Sayonara.
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