By Joe Merrill
With many of Arsenal’s midfielders set to walk away from the Emirates this season, Wenger has some holes to fill.
Our landlord here inside the Football Transfer Tavern has heard through the grapevine that Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky are likely to leave north London this summer.
Apparently Wenger is keen on signing Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach.
The 23-year-old has become an elite midfielder when it comes to dictating the pace of a match.
He’s been one of the Bundesliga’s most effective passers and can reach his teammates from a sizeable distance.
His excellent intercepting abilities set him up to be one of the best deep lying central midfielders for years to come. A
fter a shaky start by Monchengladbach, Xhaka has been a key player in the club’s revival and current fourth place standing.
He’s even worn the captain’s armband during regular skipper Martin Stranzl’s absence because of injury.
Our landlord has done some research and has discovered FIVE things you may not have known about midfielder Granit Xhaka…..
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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE FIVE THINGS!
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He came up through the Basel academy
Xhaka is a Basel native and was brought up through the excellent FC Basel youth academy who has produced the likes of Ivan Rakitic, Zdravo Kuzmanovic and Xherdan Shaqiri in recent years.
His time at the Swiss club has undoubtedly made him the player he is today, with the club known for having a flourishing academy.
He left Basel to join his current club in 2012, and he hasn’t looked back.
He’s been compared to Bastian Schweinsteiger
After a brilliant under-17 World Cup, Swiss senior team coach praised Xhaka saying, “I see similarities between Granit and Bastian Schweinsteiger, whom I promoted to the first team of Bayern Munich when he was 18.”
If Xhaka can emulate the success that Schweinsteiger has had during his playing career, then Arsenal look set to be getting one hell of a player.
At the age of just 23, Xhaka has plenty of years ahead of him to become one of the world’s best midfielders.
He has performed brilliantly in big matches
Xhaka has experience in Europe’s top-flight club football.
In the 2011/2012 Champions League group stage, he played a vital role in FC Basel advancing to the last 16, finishing ahead of Manchester United.
In 2014, he made four appearances during the World Cup for Switzerland, netting one goal.
The 23-year-old is set to see playing time this summer during the Euros.
His temper can get the best of him
Xhaka is an emotional player who racks up yellow cards on a regular basis.
This season alone he’s been shown yellow nine times and red three.
His worst incident came when he kicked Darmstadt’s Peter Niemeyer and received his first straight red.
He can crack one from far out
Most fans know about his passing skills and ability to control a match through the middle of the pitch, but not many know that he can net one from deep.
Arsenal fans will no doubt be exited at the prospect of seeing the Swiss star at the heart the Gunners midfield, especially when they see this video.
Take a look at the video below…. Notice the power behind his shots!
