Arsenal: Granit Xhaka is the forgotten man of the summer transfer window but he’s proving he is worth every penny
Granit Xhaka seems to be the midfield powerhouse that Arsenal fans have been crying out for
IN the era of the multi- purpose footballer, sometimes less is more.
And Arsene Wenger reckons he may have signed the man who can take Arsenal a Petit step closer to achieving their ambitions.
The Gunners boss has got box-to-box midfielders coming out of his ears — an abundance of marathon runners covering every blade of grass.
But now he also has someone who is happy to simply sit in his own half and give valuable protection to Arsenal’s vulnerable back four.
Even at £30million, the signing of Granit Xhaka has slipped under the radar for many Arsenal supporters.
But Wenger believes the Swiss international gives him the kind of midfield organiser the club have not had since the days of Emmanuel Petit.
Xhaka’s calm assurance has handed Santi Cazorla the licence to weave his magic in more advanced positions — and effectively allows Arsenal to play a 4-1-4-1 formation.
But it is not just about keeping it simple for the former Borussia Monchengladbach skipper, whose eye for a sweeping pass will be launching many a counter-attack in the coming months.
Wenger confirmed: “Xhaka is similar to Emmanuel Petit in the way he plays football.
“He’s a guy who plays naturally behind the ball. He likes to sit and be available to take possession from the centre-backs and give good long passes.
“He has a good mixture of short and long balls and in midfield it’s important to sometimes stretch the opponents’ defenders.
“We have a game that is based on shorter passes than other teams but Xhaka has a strong left foot that can quickly shift the play out wide to Theo Walcott on the right.
“When you have a player who can kick the longer ball it gives us a chance to get some oxygen and some space. That is what Xhaka brings.”
Frustrated Arsenal fans had been urging Wenger to sign a defensive midfield player for years.
Yet with Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny already on board, it could be argued that Xhaka arrived at the one time that Arsenal did not need another holding player.
But Wenger revealed: “We tried to sign him in December last year and we needed to get him because we have lost Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini this year.
“We had many uncertainties about long-term injuries and when we projected for the long-term future, we saw that we had many players close to 30-years-old, many close to 20 but not many in the important mid-range.
“Xhaka is 24 and it is important to plan ahead.
“Xhaka has a good engine, good stature, he is good in the air and has a good balance in his game. He was captain at his age at Monchengladbach, which is not a small club, so he obviously has leadership qualities.
“He already has experience of playing abroad, which is more reassuring because adapting to another country can be a problem for some players.”
Oh yes, he can also put in a hefty challenge.
He committed more fouls in his 20-minute Premier League debut against Liverpool than anyone else managed in the entire game — and collected what will surely be the first of many yellow cards.
Xhaka might pass it like Petit but he tackles like Patrick Vieira.