My Arsenal Blog

It has been a relatively busy January transfer window at the Emirates. Left-back Sead Kolasinac rejoined Schalke 04 on loan, the contract of Mesut Ozil was terminated and the Germany finally left to join Turkish side Fenerbahce, centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos also had his deal terminated, while Arsenal brought in attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid on loan for the rest of the season. That all happened earlier, but here’s what was done on Deadline Day.  .......Read more here.....

Schalke have approached the representatives of Shkodran Mustafi to see if a Deadline Day deal can be agreed for the defender to join the Bundesliga side, according to multiple sources.

The situation apparently stems from Liverpool’s reported move for Schalke’s Ozan Kabak, with the Premier League champions very keen to sign two centre-backs this window. They’ve reportedly already agreed a deal for 25-year-old Ben Davies of Preston North End, having been forced to use midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in the heart of defence lately through a heavy injury crisis. The Merseysiders are now pushing for a loan deal for Kabak with an obligation to buy in the summer, but the whole business hangs on whether Schalke will complete the deal for Mustafi – whom they’ve identified as a suitable replacement – by 5PM CET, the deadline to sign players for the Bundesliga clubs.  .......Read more here.....

Sead Kolasinac is closing in on a temporary return to Schalke 04, according to Sky Sports. The Bosnian left-back has already arrived in Germany ahead of the proposed move, and the Bundesliga side are confident it will be completed soon.

Kolasinac joined the Gunners in the summer of 2017 as a free agent, after his contract with Schalke expired. He had spent five years as a first-team member there, having arrived from Suttgart at the age of 18 and spent a year with Schalke’s U-19 side. He made a total of 123 appearances across all competitions in those five years, scoring four times and assisting his teammates on 13 occasions.  .......Read more here.....

Jordi Osei-Tutu has left Arsenal to join Cardiff City on a season-long loan, both clubs have confirmed.

The 21-year-old is a highly versatile player, but, as he put it himself in an interview with Cardiff’s official website, he feels most comfortable wide on the right, whether as a classic fullback or in a more advanced wing-back role. Arsenal already have players like Hector Bellerin and Cedric Soares playing there, and Osei-Tutu’s temporary move away from the Emirates as he strives to get some first-team action under his belt seems wise.  .......Read more here.....

In his interview with Arsenal’s website, Mesul Ozil talks about what he finds important in football – and also has some advice for the future football talents. The 30-year-old takes us back to the beginning of his career, when he was playing for the German club Schalke 04.

The German midfielder moved to the youth system of Schalke in 2005 and it was thought that he would do wonders for the club after he had made Schalke’s first team. Nevertheless, he had a falling out with the club and reportedly refused to renew his contract because he thought he was worth more than the annual fee of 1.5 million euros that he was being offered.  .......Read more here.....

According to Sport Bild, Arsenal are interested in signing Schalke 04 midfielder Leon Goretzka this summer.

The 22-year-old is highly-rated and has rejected a contract extension which has set a host of clubs on alert. His deal is up at the end of next season, meaning Schalke have a decision to make whether to cash in now or try and tie him down to a new deal, risking him leaving for free next summer.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal have been dealt a massive blow by Schalke defender Benedikt Howedes this summer, with the German international ruling out a move to the Emirates. Italian Serie A side AC Milan were also reportedly keen in his services, but the 27-year-old is committing his future to his boyhood club, and has no intention to leave ahead of the new season.

The Gunners are eyeing up a new centre-back to be a long-term replacement for Per Mertesacker, who has been showing his age in the last season. A fellow World Cup-winner to Howedes, Mertesacker’s form has been inconsistent, and he turns 31 later this year.  .......Read more here.....

Schalke 04 general manager Horst Heldt has revealed Arsenal never came in for striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar before the summer transfer window closed.

Reports had suggested the Gunners were eying up the Netherlands international following a lengthy injury sustained to first-choice striker Olivier Giroud, but Heldt told German magazine Kicker that such rumours were wide off the mark.

“We have not been receiving any transfer enquiries from Arsenal or any other club for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar,” he said. Schalke were fortunate to have kept their top striker, as other clubs were keen – albeit not making any bids – but he’s now in the last year of his deal so they risk losing him for nothing next summer.  .......Read more here.....

Julian Draxler looks to be a name who will be consistently spoken about until the January transfer window officially ends tomorrow evening. And while manager Arsene Wenger has repeatedly denied having approached Schalke of his availability, trusty sources are suggesting Arsenal and the Bundesliga side are haggling over an asking price.

The 20-year old has a release clause of £37M, but reports have suggested Arsenal aren’t keen to go above £30M. Nevertheless, Wenger did drop a hint that he could dip into the market for a player as the side have been suffering from a number of injuries to first-team personnel.  .......Read more here.....

A name that has been linked with the Gunners almost on a daily basis since the start of the season, but several publications have recently reported that Schalke 04 midfielder Julian Draxler is set to sign for Arsenal. However, manager Arsene Wenger denyed his club having made a bid for the 20-year old starlet – citing the rumours as “illusions”.

Nevertheless, the story is still being reported, and the Gunners boss did say the club would pursue ‘exceptional talent’ if they became available. Draxler certainly comes under that bracket. Only Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery (6) has made more successful dribbles than Draxler (5.1) this season.  .......Read more here.....