- 20 Nov 2024
Germany manager underlines why Arsenal target Julian Brandt must leave Dortmund
Stefan Bienkowski
- Updated: 25 May 2021 22:23 BST
- 5 min read
German national team manager Jogi Low has underlined why Arsenal transfer target Julian Brandt may have to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Despite making the 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup, Brandt was excluded from Germany’s squad for the forthcoming European Championships in June.
While the Dortmund attacking midfielder was up against a huge amount of competition for a spot in Low’s squad, the German manager pointed out Brandt’s omission wasn’t down to his talent but rather the lack of game time he has been picking up at Dortmund this season.
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“Brandt is a great footballer, as we all know,” said Low at a press conference to unveil his squad for the international tournament.
“When I look at the last few months, there was relatively little playing time, only short appearances and the one or other time not at all.”
Indeed, while Brandt has made 43 appearances for Dortmund this season, he has lasted the full 90 minutes of a game on just six occasions and started just 21 of those games.
Could Brandt make the move to Arsenal this summer?
Although it remains to be seen whether new Dortmund head coach Marco Rose has big plans for the 25-year-old midfielder, it would seem as though anything but an ironclad promise of game time each week would force Brandt to consider his options.
According to a recent report in German magazine Kicker, the German international could be offered a convenient escape route in the form of Arsenal this summer.
The Premier League giants have been long-time admirers of the former Bayer Leverkusen star and would certainly offer more game time next season if they’re willing to make an offer for Brandt this summer.
Although the Dortmund player has a contract until 2024, it’s unlikely that the Bundesliga side would demand a huge fee for a back-up player this summer and could quite happily allow Brandt to depart for England for a fair price.
