Wolfsburg are about to take yet another L which could end all hopes they have of even dreaming of getting into the top four again. Julian Jeremiah Draxler, their sole star player of last season has done what Hecking and the board had nightmares about...the boy has just gone and pretty much handed in a transfer request.
Hecking knew that eventually, Draxler was going to leave. That's why during the Euros, when Draxler had the man-of-the-match performance against Slovakia, I said Hecking must be hoping he gets injured or subbed off. The better Draxler played on the big stage, the more likely it would be he'd leave sooner rather than later.
So when the Euros ended, I think Wolfsburg knew that a club of their stature could not keep a kid this talented. That's sadly how it works in modern football. If you aren't one of the big clubs, and you've got a young player who does really well in an international tournament, you better start drawing up a minimum fee that you will accept for the eventual sale.
Thing though is I didn't think it would be this early. I assumed Draxler would be at Wolfsburg for another season, perhaps even play better, then next summer he'd make his move. For someone who knows that he is finally coming into his own after so much failed promise at Schalke, you can't waste your years struggling at a club who can't compete for trophies.
That's another thing. Even if Hecking bought really good players and Wolfsburg were actually competing for titles and in the Champions League, all it would take is for Real or Bayern or Juventus to inquire about Draxler for the kid to start packing his bags and saying his good-byes.
Just look at Dortmund. The team that played the best football last season, finishing behind Bayern but with so much promise for this coming campaign. Only for three of their key players to take their talents elsewhere simply because of their lust to play for a bigger club, even if their current one where they fit in is going in the right direction and is competitive.
It's a trend that's not going to change anytime soon and it's one of the factors among others which has contributed to the exclusive club in football that keeps on getting smaller and smaller. With every young star wanting to go to one of four clubs in the world, it leaves the others having to getting creative with their scouts to look for stars that nobody knows about. Only for them to have that one great season and get snatched up by a big team, just like Kante.
With Draxler saying he wants a transfer, the wheels are now in motion. The big clubs have been alerted and Hecking knows from past experience with De Bruyne that you can't keep a player who doesn't want to play for your club anymore. It's unfortunate, painful, frustrating but it's modern football. The sooner you get with the program, the quicker you can re-up and rebuild your team with the transfer money.
I've got to say, whereas Pogba would make a very bad move leaving Juventus, this is the right move for Draxler. He showed enough last season and at the Euros that he's ready to move to a big club with a coach who can continue to develop him and really test his skills in the biggest games. His natural dribbling ability is something I've never seen in a German player. For him to be so good at it so early, means with the right tutelage, we could have a truly world class player in three or four years.
As for Wolfsburg, if Draxler does end up making the move this summer then I'm afraid I don't have any answers for Hecking as how they are to cope. The Bundesliga is a very competitive league as they learned last season, and without two or three really exceptional players, you run the risk of losing games consecutively against the mid-table teams who are improving and not afraid to come out and attack. HH
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