My Arsenal Blog

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.....

Bundesliga side Schalke 04 have been inundated with enquiries from clubs around Europe for their young starlet Julian Draxler. However, such a deal that would see him leave the German outfit looks highly unlikely, with chairman Clemens Tonnies urging the player to remain at the club while issuing a hands-off warning to interested parties.

‘It would be my personal advice he should be with us next season. He can play his best football without any big pressure and at our club he would have a clear mind. My general advice for everyone would be to stop making Julian mad. We’d not be forced to sell if we fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Our financial plans are not based on taking part in that competition. We could still sleep easy.’  .......Read more here.....

Former Schalke 04 striker Ciprian Marica has been attracting interest from Arsenal this summer. The 27-year old is currently a free agent after being released from the Bundesliga side.

He plays as a second-striker and can also play out wide. He’s made 58 appearances for the Romanian national team, scoring 21 goals.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been keen to bolster his side’s attacking options, after Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh left to join AS Roma and Crystal Palace respectively. This leaves Arsenal thin on squad players, and Marica is reportedly close to joining the Gunners as a result.  .......Read more here.....