Robert Pires once said £37m star fits Arsenal ‘perfectly’; now Arteta reportedly wants him

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Arsenal were in a very different place when Robert Pires was pushing the idea of Julian Draxler moving to the Emirates in 2014.

At the time, Arsene Wenger could call on some of the most talented creative midfielders on the planet, with Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky and a rapidly-improving Aaron Ramsey welcoming the £42.4 million record-signing Mesut Ozil to the Emirates with open arms.

So at the time, it was hard to see where Draxler – a 20-year-old schemer following in Ozil’s velveteen footsteps at Schalke – would have fit into Wenger’s plans.

Nonetheless, Arsenal legend Pires felt that Draxler, with his weaving stride and a remarkable understanding of the game for someone so young, would still have been a fine addition to a star-studded Gunners midfield.

“Julian is a good player,” the two-time Premier League winner told Goal and Spox seven years ago. “He’s young and has a lot of potential for development.

“When I watch him play, I always think that he fits perfectly with Arsenal’s style of football.

“I can see him playing well on the left-hand side or in attack. He could really strengthen the team.”

Flash forward to January 2021 and, while Draxler has not quite reached the same heights as Ozil since graduating from the Schalke finishing school, the Germany international would stroll into Mikel Arteta’s XI without breaking even a bead of sweat these days.

Despite the stunning emergence of Emile Smith-Rowe, a creative midfielder is understood to be Arsenal’s priority in the January window.

The Mirror suggest that a loan move for Draxler may be on the cards with their top target, the £40 million-rated Emi Buendia, simply too expensive.

Draxler has started just five Ligue 1 matches for Paris Saint-Germain 2020/21 and a short-term spell away from the French capital would only boost his hopes of a major role in Joachim Low’s Germany side ahead of the upcoming European Championships.

Furthermore, with Ozil seemingly closer than ever to the exit, his 56-time Nationalmannschaft teammate would give Arteta’s squad a welcome shot of verve, thrust and creativity.

If Pires was keen to see Draxler arrive in 2014, when Arsenal were stocked with top-quality number 10s, it is safe to assume he would give this deal his seal of approval seven years on.