Another day, another transfer rumour. Something tells us it's nearly January! The latest suggestion is that Arsenal have locked eyes with a couple of German midfielders: namely Real Madrid's Sami Khedira, and his young compatriot Christoph Kramer of Bayer Leverkusen (though who has spent the last couple of seasons on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach).
Will Arsenal make a move for star Bundesliga midfielder?
According to the Daily Star, Arsenal will make a move to sign Christoph Kramer if they fail to land Sami Khedira.
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Given that every single pretty good team in the world has been recently linked with Khedira, it’s the prospect of the Gunners signing Kramer which is more interesting to us. His potential arrival at Arsenal actually loosely resembles a semi-sensible idea, but is it likely to happen? Let’s take a look in more detail:
Why it makes sense
To date, Christoph Kramer is probably most famous to football fans in England for banging his head and forgetting which planet he was on a few minutes into the World Cup final. However, by all Bundesliga accounts, Kramer is a very hot prospect. He’s only 23 years old, and given that Joachim Löw trusted him to start in that game against Argentina back in the summer, it’s clear he’s pretty damn good.
However, even more suggestive of a move is the fact that Kramer is a pretty good all-round midfielder, who is as solid defensively as he is in possession. Given that Arsenal's midfield is lacking in players that aren't made of soggy paper, Kramer's signing would be excellent news for the Gunners. What's more, Kramer has never actually made a Bundesliga appearance for his parent club, which could mean that they're a little more inclined to let him go.
Why it doesn’t make sense
... but that still doesn't mean they're going to want to give him away. His status as one of Germany's top young midfielders at the moment suggests he's not going to come cheap, and Arsenal have already spent big this season as it is. It'd be surprising if Arsène Wenger was to splash the cash in January after landing Alexis Sánchez and Danny Welbeck a few months back.
Kramer would be a very sensible signing for Arsenal, who have a history of making very insensible signings. Oh, and this rumour comes courtesy of the Daily Star, who aren’t exactly known for their deadeye transfer rumour accuracy.
Likelihood it happens
This rumour gets a little higher rating than most, given that Kramer is a realistic target, and would be a really good signing for the Gunners. But actual evidence of it happening remains non-existent, and it’s likely Arsenal’s defence will have to go on with absolutely no midfield protection whatsoever. 4 out of 10 chance.
