Xhaka’s aggression is exactly what Arsenal needs!

Xhaka holds the aggression Arsenal need in midfield!

Arsenal fans can be satisfied with today being the day that the signing of Granit Xhaka has been officially confirmed by the club on Arsenal.com. It is the announcement that fans alike were waiting for and now we can finally turn our attention to his strengths rather than wonder about the terms of the deal.

We have heard it all before about Xhaka’s best qualities and for a reported £30-35million I’d expect nothing less for that kind of money. However one thing that cannot be stressed enough about his qualities, is his passion and aggression to both win the ball and his drive for overall success.

In his first interview with Arsenal, Xhaka outlined how it is a ‘dream’ to play for the Gunners and so we know he will certainly bring commitment to the club and an ambition to win big. But one of the most important qualities we will see out of the Swiss international is the aggression and steel he will bring to the Arsenal midfield. Both qualities have been lacking in an Arsenal side ever since Wenger’s invincible 2004/5 team with Gilberto and Vieira holding that role down perfectly. After many attempts since, all of which have failed, bar arguably Francis Coquelin, Arsenal have finally found a player who is not afraid to get stuck in and have a little nibble at his opponents (not literally like Luis Suarez of course).

Speaking in his interview, Xhaka said: “I don’t think it’s the same [style as the Bundesliga]. In Germany you can play aggressively but the referee will always blow his whistle, but in England that’s not the case. That’s better for me. I like to play football. I’m an aggressive player and also a leader. I’m only 23 but I captained a good team in Germany. It’s in my head that I am a leader and captaining Monchengladbach was very good for me.”

The styles of play are slightly different between the Bundesliga and the Premier League, however I expect Xhaka to fully integrate himself into this Arsenal side straight away, rather than taking his time to adapt. Like I mentioned with Coquelin, he has done a fantastic job at protecting our back line and has often dominated that midfield by getting stuck in with his opponents, however now we have someone else in the team that can show the same qualities and not be left stranded when the Gunners need that type of player most.

I expect good things from Xhaha and so should all Gunners alike. It is not often Arsene Wenger spends big money on a player and so when he does, you expect nothing but the best. Xhaka should have an instant impact with the team and hopefully with the 23 year old in the side and some further additions this summer, we can hope to expect some very good things come the start of the season.

By AH

8 Comments

  1. All the best to xhaka in excelling at arsenal and being that midfield enforcer to stamp authority on the gunners play!

  2. 1. Already way ahead of last year’s transfer season!!

    2. Off Topic: Eric Dier has publicly stated the England squad must learn to avoid being so “honest” and instead take on a more “street wise” and “clever” approach to football.

    Translation: English players must learn how to cheat and how to get away with cheating to keep up with the other nations that know how to cheat very well already.

  3. Is Flamini staying or something? All I’ve been hearing is Rosicky and Arteta leaving but nothing about Flamini.

    1. We aren’t hearing about Arsenal extend his contract either, aren’t we? He’s counting his days at Arsenal. And with expansive company his owned, he should not worry about football anymore.

  4. Xhaka: “Some people like to forget that I am only 23 years old. I am not perfect. I will make mistakes. But Arsenal now has one more player who knows how to fight”

  5. I am super glad that we got Xhaka… I watch clips of Carvalho, Xhaka, Bender, Rabiot and Jorginho about a month back and came away pleasantly surprise with BOTH the defensive and distribution skills of Carvalho – Xhaka. Both reminded me of Gilberto – Vieira and I have basically earmarked either one of them or both for our DM/HM position, and now I am pleased as a punch that we at least have now got one of them…

    Our team today are full of players of average build, and Xhaka (or Carvalho) would bring tremendous physical presence and power to the middle as well as height when defending set pieces and corners. This is not a knock on Kos but I found that opposing managers would invariably often target his side of the pitch at corners and set pieces, and he needs someone other than just Giroud to support him when defending aerial balls against the opponent’s best headers….

    Coq is a ferocious tackler and when he is at his best, he reminds me a lot of mascherano when he was at Liverpool, totally dominant. The downside however is that he would need to wear a 3 inch heels in order to support Kos effectively at corners and set pieces…. In some teams its OK to have a Kante in DM role if you have two center backs who are equally great in the air. But with neither Mert, Gab nor Kos being particularly that dominant, Xhaka would bring very much needed support and balance in this aspect.

    I was caught totally unaware of the aggressive side of is game from his clips but for me this is a plus. Far too long I have seen our players being bullied and kicked around the pitch by the more bigger and physical sides and now we finally have someone who can kick back.

    Now, Arsene, can we pls get a centerback blessed with pace – and a beast in the air, to replace Mert and Gab as starter for next season? I detest Mourinho as a person but I do agree one thing with him and Simone….in a long season, make it tremendously hard for your opponents to score against you, and you would always have a chance to win any game, even against the bigger teams.

  6. I guess we all trust Wenger’s judgements now… Slate him for not signing Scheinerlin last summer, but XHAKA is definitely an upgrade on him.. #GranitIsAGonner….

  7. What I like about the latest Arsenal buys is that they have been extensively scouted and contact was already made way before. This is for Gabriel, Elneny and Xhaka.

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