Things are already looking different for the Gunners after the arrival of Unai Emery as their new manager. There is a certain buzz of excitement among the Arsenal fans.
They have finally got what they wanted – change. For years the fans have been asking for long-serving manager Arsene Wenger to step down, which the Frenchman ultimately did at the end of the 2017/18 campaign. It certainly brought an end to a long era but it will also spark the beginning of another – life after Wenger.
Emery has already brought in Juventus right-back Stephan Lichsteiner on a free transfer. The Spaniard looks set to bolster his squad before the start of the new season. Arsenal are now being linked with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze and they are in pole position to sign the £18m star.
Gotze was part of a brilliant Dortmund team which made it to the finals of the Champions League in the 2012/13 season, only to crumble against fellow German rivals Bayern Munich. Along with Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski, Gotze was one of the best players for BVB that season.
However, Bayern Munich soon came calling and Gotze left the Signal Iduna Park for a reported fee of around £31.5m in 2013. His former Dortmund team-mate Lewandowski also followed him to Bayern Munich next summer.
But things didn’t pan out so well for the German as it did for the Polish striker at the Allianz Arena. Gotze’s spell with Bayern was blighted by inconsistent displays and persistent injuries.
He made a total of 73 appearances for the Bavarians, scoring 22 goals in the process. The 26-year-old moved back to Dortmund in the summer of 2016, in search of regular football time, but things still haven’t looked up for the German.
The German made just 23 appearances in the league last season, scoring 2 goals and providing 3 assists. It is clear the midfielder needs a change in scenario, and that change could be Arsenal. The Gunners play the kind of football which Gotze would be suited to.
He’s technically brilliant and is very fast on the ball – the kind of qualities Emery would be looking to invest in this new Arsenal side. Gotze made history in Brazil four years ago when he scored the winning goal against Argentina to help Germany lift the World Cup.
He would certainly bring a lot to the Arsenal side. The likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette would thrive off a player like Gotze playing behind them.
Aubameyang was also teammates with Gotze at Dortmund and the pair share a good relationship which could help the German settle into the Emirates. Gotze hasn’t made it to the World Cup this time, which means Emery can seek to complete a deal for the German sooner rather than later.
