If there’s one player who is an absolute certainty to leave in January, it’s Julian Draxler.
The German has been alienated from the first-team after Wolfsburg turned down his transfer request in the summer, and it doesn’t look like he’ll feature again before the winter window.
“All that has changed is our basic stance compared to the summer, when we said that we did not want to sell him,” Wolfsburg director of sport Klaus Allofs told ESPN.
“That has proven not to have been a good decision, you’ve got to accept that now.
“If we are to receive an offer then we will consider it and see whether we react to it.”
Draxler has not been linked to Liverpool, but with Jurgen Klopp desperate to add an offensive option in January, there’s a number of reasons why Draxler, on paper, makes sense:
- He’s readily available
- He has Champions League, World Cup and European Championship experience
- At 23, he’s not yet reached his unbelievable potential
- He can play on the left, right or centrally, making him perfect for Klopp’s fluid frontline
- He’s German, so will be able to settle in quickly due to the manager, Emre Can and former team-mate Joel Matip
- He’d obviously jump at the chance to work with Klopp
- He’s technically brilliant and very, very fast
- Klopp wanted Draxler in 2013 when Mario Gotze left Dortmund for Bayern
And what about the negatives…?
- There’ll be competition for his services; and Wolfsburg will try to drive the price up
- He’s shown a poor attitude at Wolfsburg which might put Klopp off
- He’s had injury problems in the past, although none for some time
So far, we’ve been linked officially to Quincy Promes in the Echo, but in Draxler, there might be a more established option.
Where do you stand, Reds? Would you take the playmaker at Anfield?