Julian Draxler's career approaches another inflection point
The former Bundesliga wonderkid is coming to the end of a doomed spell at Paris Saint-Germain. So what next for the Germany international?
If Julian Draxler wasn’t initially sure where he stood with new Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier, the grizzled head coach from Marseille made it abundantly clear when L'Equipe recently asked what would become of the French club’s numerous well-paid players on the periphery of the star-studded squad.
"Apart from the goalkeepers, we have 26 or 27 players, that's a huge squad,” noted the 55-year-old tactician. “We spoke to them. It wasn't an easy discussion. They are players we have to respect." A perfectly reasonable comment to make, had Galtier not begun his response with the following remark: "They are not undesirable, that would be derogatory.”
Like the saviest of politicians, smart football managers have a habit of almost subconsciously planting an idea in the minds of their followers by carefully suggesting something else entirely. Or, at the very least, by stating publicly that they didn’t mean that at all. However, as we all now know, “undesirable” is exactly how Galtier would probably describe Draxler behind closed doors. Which is undoubtedly why the player has been heavily linked with a move to England and may well be heading towards the exit doors at the Parc des Princes in the coming weeks.
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