Arsenal are facing a disastrous summer next year as they look powerless to stop both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil leaving the club, with both players possibly set to strengthen two of their biggest title rivals from Manchester.
While Sanchez’s move to Manchester City has looked on the cards for some time, it is only in the last few days that speculation over Ozil’s future has seen him so strongly linked with a controversial move to Old Trafford.
Ozil has not been heavily involved in Arsenal’s season so far due to a combination of injury problems and a total lack of impact when he’s been on the pitch, but at various points in the summer it looked like he could be close to finally signing a new contract.
That hasn’t materialised, however, and the Germany international is now due to be a free agent at the end of the season, which will set alarm bells ringing at the Emirates Stadium.
Whatever some fans may think about Ozil and his weaknesses, he will certainly need replacing with a proven talent in that attacking midfield role, so we’ve picked out five realistic candidates for Arsene Wenger to look at…
Julian Draxler
One name bound to pop into Wenger’s head straight away is Julian Draxler, who has been linked with Arsenal many times in the past.
The Paris Saint-Germain attacker’s future is in some doubt at the moment after the summer signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, with his place in the first XI no longer assured and with his club in need of offloading players to meet Financial Fair Play restrictions.
Draxler seems an ideal fit for Arsenal and could be available for a reasonable price if there is to be a PSG fire-sale, with his team-mates Angel Di Maria and Javier Pastore perhaps also worth looking at.
Draxler, however, has his best years ahead of him and is widely thought to have been a Wenger favourite for some time, so should slot in nicely at the Emirates.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
If United are signing Ozil, there’s surely going to be someone making way in Jose Mourinho’s squad.
It’s by no means certain that Henrikh Mkhitaryan would be the one to go, but the Armenian looks a player worth pursuing for Arsenal as they look to fill that assist-void left by Ozil.
Mkhitaryan has shown himself to be one of the top creative players in both the Bundesliga and Premier League in his career so far, and can play a variety of attacking midfield roles.
It is again thought that Arsenal showed some interest in Mkhitaryan in the past, and it’s easy to see why Wenger would see the 28-year-old as ideal for the way he likes his sides to play.
Nabil Fekir
Linked with Arsenal from a young age, Nabil Fekir has been a reliable source of goals and assists for Lyon down the years and looks ready to make the step up to a bigger club.
Alexandre Lacazette will know the 24-year-old well and surely be keen to link up with him once again, and he’s perhaps unlikely to be one of the more pricey names on the market.
Lyon let Lacazette move to north London for just £52m, which arguably looked a bargain even before the transfer market spiralled out of control by the end of the summer, so there could be some hope of poaching another of their stars for a reasonable amount.
With five goals and three assists in just eight Ligue 1 games this season, however, it surely won’t be long before more big clubs start to take notice of the France international’s quality.
Emil Forsberg
A rumoured target for Arsenal over the summer, Emil Forsberg led the Bundesliga for assists last season with 19 in total for RB Leipzig.
One of many exciting talents on the books at Leipzig, Forsberg is a different style of attacker to Ozil, often starting out wide and preferring to run with the ball and cross it as opposed to picking out a killer pass.
Still, there’s no doubt the Sweden international has the all-round talent and intelligence to make a name for himself at Arsenal and fill Ozil’s boots if required.
The 25-year-old also scored eight league goals last season, so could be an upgrade in terms of the goal threat he offers.
Ross Barkley
Once regarded as the bright new hope of English football, it’s fair to say Ross Barkley’s career has stalled somewhat in the last couple of seasons.
The 23-year-old still possesses great natural talent though, leading to surprisingly strong interest in him from both Chelsea and Tottenham towards the end of the summer.
Barkley has said he remains open to a move in January, with Everton seemingly happy to get him off their books after signing Gylfi Sigurdsson in his position.
While he may be one of the bigger gambles on this list, if Barkley were to fulfil the potential he showed earlier in his career, he could end up an ideal replacement for Ozil, and on the cheap too.
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