Granit Xhaka hasn’t fully adapted yet to Premier League, says Arsene Wenger
The Swiss midfielder joined the Gunners for £35m in the summer and was part of the reason they let Jack Wilshere join Bournemouth on loan
ARSENE WENGER admits Granit Xhaka is having a devil of a time trying to live up to his monster fee.
The Arsenal manager splashed out £30million on the Swiss midfielder in the summer — making him the third most expensive player in the club’s history.
But Xhaka, 24, has made only five Premier League starts after the switch from Borussia Monchengladbach.
Wenger agreed Xhaka was finding the transition hard, and said: “Yes, but that is part of the job.
“He needs to adapt to the way we play and the tactical pace of the English game. I am confident he will do very well.
“If you look at Thierry Henry at the start, he was not playing.
“He did not play until November, he was 23 years old as well. We are in November now.”
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But Wenger will not play Xhaka just because he has spent big money on him.
Ahead of today’s clash with Bournemouth, he added: “People want you to buy players but we can only play 11, not 22.
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“They feel sorry for the 11 who do not play, but you want them to convince you that they can get in the team.
“You will find plenty of players who cost more and don’t play. The market has gone up.”