Why Arsenal should target Borussia Monchengladbach striker Max Kruse

Max Kruse

The German factory of talent production has been in some of its most well-oiled form in recent years, with all the elite European clubs hopping aboard the Bundesliga bandwagon in an attempt to sign the young and up-and-coming talent of the in-form nation.

However, Arsenal should turn their eyes away from the youth for a moment and instead take in the possibility of going for one Germany’s more understated and already established player this season, Borussia Monchengladbach’s Max Kruse.

With eight goals scored so far this season, the 25-year-old has been one of the leading lights in the Foals’ 2013/14 campaign thus far, firing his team back into Champions League contention, ‘Gladbach currently sitting in fourth, level on points with Borussia Dortmund.

Giroud: 14 PL Appearances

It’s no secret that Arsene Wenger could look to add to his attacking line this winter, with Olivier Giroud shouldering a huge helping of the Gunners’ striking duties this term, starting in 14 of the team’s 15 league games, over 71% of which have been for the full 90 minutes.

And like Giroud, Kruse’s form hasn’t been of the flash-in-the-pan variety. After going three games without a goal of late, the former Freiburg firework returned to scoring matters against Schalke this weekend, contributing a Man of the Match performance in the 2-1 win over the Miners, an essential three points if his side are to distance themselves from close table rivals.

Kruse Goals Scored Cumulative

It isn’t the first time that Kruse has pitched in with stellar displays this season either, with one goal and an assist added in the 4-1 win over Werder Bremen, scoring in the 2-0 triumph over Juergen Klopp’s Dortmund and a brace scored in the 2-0 victory against Hamburg, too.

Needless to say the bigger occasions haven’t shown themselves to daunt Lucien Favre’s attacking talisman.

Kruse Chances Created

By trade, Kruse is the last man his side want picking up the ball far from goal, partnered alongside Raffael as one of ‘Gladbach’s focal points in attack, but his skill set has lent itself well to the creative aspects of play this season.

In his 15 Bundesliga starts at the club—Kruse has missed just eight minutes of his side’s league campaign—the attacker has crafted no less than 40 scoring opportunities, an average of almost three key passes per game.

Were there another finisher in the squad as adept as him, he might find his assist tally being slightly higher than four, although that’s not to belittle the talents of Raffael, also slotting home eight goals in that space.

Giroud Passing Accuracy

The difference in tactics between Arsenal and ‘Gladbach is clear. For example, Kruse, positioned largely in a two-man attack, has dropped below 30 passes in a game only once this season. On the other hand, Giroud, the one-man focus of things at the Emirates Stadium, is yet to make 30 passes in a league match.

Therefore, the move could be an interesting one for Wenger. Many are expecting a backup to the Frenchman’s current striker to be brought in merely as a bench option, but Kruse would allow Arsenal to experiment in other systems and could be a very efficient partner for the former Montpellier hitman.

Given the way things are going in North London right now, it’s unlikely that anyone at the club will want to go anywhere near tinkering with something that is very much not broken, but things can always be improved and the German international could be a viable, cut-price way for the Premier League outfit to continue their experimentation.