Draxler justifies his decision to stay at Schalke

FC Schalke youngster Julian Draxler has admitted that he is happy to have turned down offers this summer in favor of staying at the Veltins-Arena. 

The 19 year old is one of the most highly rated young midfielders in the world presently and has been attracting interest from a host of other top European clubs. Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona were all believed to be interested in the midfielder but Draxler insists that he turned them down so as to boost his World Cup chances next year.


"The World Cup's at the end of the season and you always need time to get used to a new team," he told Fifa.com.


"It was not an easy decision. You never know whether you will ever get such an offer again.


"In the end, I followed my heart and decided to remain at Schalke. On top of that, I'm convinced I'm at the right club with Schalke.


"We haven't had a great start to the campaign and I was a bit disappointed after the first few games, but I think we took another important step forward after signing Kevin-Prince Boateng. We've got a strong team."