It's a done deal. Julian Draxler will be taking the big step in his career as he is all set to move to Paris Saint Germain.
Okay, technically PSG are a big club and have the spending power to rival Barcelona, Manchester City and Real Madrid and they have one of the most talented teams in the world. So there is nothing to doubt that Draxler is making a step up moving from Wolfsburg to PSG.
It's also only right that Draxler leaves Wolfsburg as he is far too good for a team that are on a downward spiral and will be battling relegation this season.
My worry is about Draxler the player. This isn't Ibrahimovic who had already established himself at Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan before heading to Paris. Draxler is twenty-three years old and has done nothing yet to put him on the world class map.
PSG is a project that's about the now, not the tomorrow. The owners want instant success and are building a team to win the Champions League. The domestic trophies are nice as any kind of trophy is always welcome, but every season, their number one goal is European glory.
For Draxler, who is still a player developing, moving to PSG is bad for him. He's not going to have time to improve his game or try things. Either he's an instant hit or there's another player on the sidelines waiting to take his place.
No matter how much will be paid out for him, Draxler's name on the first-team sheet won't be a birthright. He'll have to earn it, and one or two bad performances will see him resigned to the bench where he'll have no chance to improve as a player.
Arsenal was on the table and although they are a much smaller club in comparison to PSG with much less likelhood of winning anything, Draxler would have worked far better in the quicker, pass-based system of Wenger and he'd also have improved as a player just like Fabregas and Nasri did.
Germany could potentially have the next big star because what little I saw of him at the Euros, was enough to convince me of his incredible technical ability and confidence to take players on, and dribble successfully. He is unlike any German player that I have seen and the way in which he finds ways to beat his man is a lost art amongst many wingers who seem to rely more on speed than the more finesse side of the game.
But if he's in and out of the team at PSG, and he isn't allowed to express himself, lost in a strategy that doesn't allow him to flourish then his dribbling and confidence will diminish. This will not only hurt Draxler but the German national team as well when looking ahead to the World Cup in Russia.
I hope he does well and maybe he can prove me wrong, and really take off at PSG and propel them from Champions League sideshows, to European contenders. He's definitely got the skills, ability and confidence to succeed, there's something about the whole scenario that doesn't feel right with me and it doesn't look likely it will end well for him.
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