The Arsenal and Switzerland international star Granit Xhaka has already been given a lot of praise for his performances since he completed his summer transfer from the German Bundesaliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach. But there is no way that Xhaka is going to be happy with that, as he has bigger plans for his career.
Unlike the late signings of Mustafi and Lucas Perez, Arsenal completed the deal for the Swiss midfielder nice and early and that allowed the Arsenal fans to get a good look at our new player in the Euro 2016 tournament, where he was very impressive in the centre of an average side.
There were still questions over how he would cope with the change to the English Premier League though, as many before him have struggled or taken some time to get used to it. It has been pretty good so far, but at 24-years old Xhaka wants to keep learning and improving and the Evening Standard reports him saying that he thinks he has come to the perfect club to make that happen.
The other side of joining a club like Arsenal with top quality players, however, is the competition for places and Xhaka’s central midfield position is one of the strongest areas of the Gunners’ squad. To really improve you need to play, so although our new star accepts that he is not the finished article yet he is hopeful and determined to make himself one of the first names on Arsene Wenger’s team sheet.
He said, “I have not come to Arsenal to sit on the bench or even in the grandstand. But I’m not 30, I’ll be 24 at the end of September. I’ve moved to a club and a coach that can develop me.
“I think at Arsenal I can improve my speed and power. Because I realize now that I’m not at a hundred per cent of what is possible there. [Understanding] this too is an advancement.
“When it comes to tactics, then I think the Bundesliga is a bit the better league. The physical component in the Premier League is more pronounced, it’s more rapid.
“It’s just different. I would even say I experience it as completely different. In England there are teams that operate much more long balls.”
So with the tactical grounding he has from Germany and the technical quality he is surrounded by at Arsenal, combined with his natural ability and aggression, will Xhaka become one of the best in the world and a Gunners legend into the bargain?
Bob.