4 potential long-term replacements for Mesut Ozil revealed

SOURCE: Photo, Ronnie Macdonald, CC BY 2.0

This summer promises to be a very interesting one for Gunners fans. With many reports indicating a mass clear-out of established Arsenal stars by boss Mikel Arteta attentions have already turned to the likely candidates to replace them. The Gunners’ hierarchy is desperate to get playmaker Mesut Özil’s £350,000-a-week wage off its books. Whether it’s likely to be achievable in the current financial climate of football remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, that won’t stop Arteta and co. from scouting out long-term replacements for the German international. Below, we consider four potential deputies for Özil’s number 11 shirt at the Emirates.

Philippe Coutinho

Although the Bundesliga is back in full swing, Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho appears to have played his last game in a Bayern Munich shirt. The former Liverpool schemer, who is on loan from Barcelona, looks unlikely to remain in Germany after Bayern decided not to take up their option to sign him permanently this summer. Coutinho lit up the Premier League with Liverpool and would probably jump at the chance of a return to the EPL.

SOURCE: Photo

Although reports suggest he has been offered out to the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle, the stumbling block for the Gunners would surely be his £250,000-a-week wage. Although this would still be a huge downgrade on Özil, it’s clear that the Gunners’ hierarchy are keen to tighten their belts further still and may prefer a more ‘value’ option.

Emiliano Buendía

In terms of budget alternatives, they won’t come much cheaper than Norwich City’s Argentine midfield maestro Emi Buendía. The former Getafe playmaker was the lynchpin behind the Canaries’ promotion from the Championship in 2018/19 and he has by no means looked out of place in the EPL this term. The diminutive 23-year-old is someone that can travel with the ball at pace and can create chances at will too.

When Buendía arrived in Norfolk, he agreed a four-year contract with Daniel Farke’s men. That means he will still have two years left on his deal at the end of this season. Much will depend on whether the Argentine has aspirations to sign a new contract extension with City in the next 12 months. If not, Delia and co. may look to cash in this summer, with Norwich’s loss potentially Arsenal’s gain.

Orkan Kokcu

Dutch midfielder Orkan Kokcu is another player that’s widely accepted to be firmly on Arteta’s radar. The 19-year-old, who came through the academies of Groningen and Feyenoord respectively, is now a key figure in the Feyenoord midfield, registering two goals and four assists in 22 league appearances. Following several months of speculation that Arteta is thinking of tabling a bid for his services, Kokcu has spoken out to the Dutch media, saying that he is in no “hurry” to leave Feyenoord.

For one so young, Kokcu appears to have his feet firmly on the ground, insisting that he tries to “isolate” himself from transfer talk and allow his father and agent to handle contractual issues. The delicate issue for Feyenoord is that they can ill-afford to turn down the £23m that’s reportedly on the table from the Gunners. The Dutch Eredivisie is nowhere near as flush with cash as the EPL and that money would enable Feyenoord to strengthen their squad in multiple areas. It’s certainly a potential deal that has legs.

Julian Draxler

If Le 10 Sport is anything to go by, Paris Saint Germain are desperate to sell German attacking midfielder Julian Draxler this summer. The French giants are keen to raise funds and allow some of their fringe players to leave and Draxler is at the front of the queue. Ironically, Draxler was a former transfer target of ex-Gunners boss Arsene Wenger when the German was at Schalke 04.

Draxler still has 12 months remaining on his deal with PSG, but that could allow Arsenal to pick him up for a cut-price figure. The German has endured a somewhat injury-hit season in 2019/20, playing just 11 league games, but registering five assists in those appearances still underlines what he is capable of.

There’s plenty of food for thought for Mikel Arteta, with an orderly queue seemingly forming to become the next front-line playmaker at the Emirates.