Draxler happy at Schalke

The future of Julian Draxler has been the subject of much speculation over the past year, but the 20-year-old says he is happy at Schalke.

Draxler has been heavily linked with a number of Premier League clubs, not least Arsenal, and the midfielder revealed he turned down a move to the Emirates Stadium during the January transfer window.

Despite interest from across Europe, Draxler admits that last season he did not show his full potential when registering only two goals for Schalke.

However, after signing a new five-year-deal in May and being part of the Germany squad that won the World Cup, the midfielder hopes to put that frustration behind him.

“I just want to help the team and I want to be one of the leaders. I think I have to show all my qualities,” said Draxler.

“I have to be more dangerous on my position and create more chances. So I think the last season was very important for my development. I had to go through many lows, but this season will be much better.”

Schalke face Tottenham in their final pre-season friendly before starting their domestic campaign with a first-round DFB-Pokal tie against Dynamo Dresden on 18 August.