Arsenal’s Problems Would Be Solved With Granit Xhaka

There are so many players out there that we can look at and say “with him, we would be champions.” Most of those guys are strikers, but in all reality, it is a midfielder that Arsenal need more. Preferably a midfielder with strong defensive instincts. If reports are to be believed, and as always, that is a huge ‘if’, Arsenal have sent scouts to Borussia Monchengladbach to follow the escapades of Granit Xhaka.

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The 23-year old Swiss midfielder has been on a tear for the Bundesliga side and upon further investigation, he looks to be a perfect fit for what Arsenal needs.

Xhaka is a physical player. At 185 cm and 82 kg, he stands bigger and wider than Francis Coquelin. While he has always played a central, box-to-box kind of role, his qualities as a player indicate that he could play alongside Coquelin or even give Coquelin a rest (is that allowed?).

On to the statistics that really matter. Defensively, as a central midfielder, Xhaka is looking fantastic. He is averaging 2.5 tackles and 3 interceptions per appearance (via WhoScored.com). That is right at where Le Coq sits. However Xhaka also brings the ability to score goals, particularly from set pieces. He has three goals already in the young season. 

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And what about switching leagues? The Bundesliga is much more like the Premier League than La Liga is. You will not find too many Angel Di Maria’s coming over from the Bundesliga and flopping out in a year. The Germans are a physical bunch.

There are only two major issues with Granit Xhaka. One is easy to overcome. One not so much.

Let’s start with the easy one. Discipline. Xhaka has racked up seven yellow cards and two red cards on the year. Already. What can you do, he’s a rambunctious guy? Xhaka is not a player who backs down from a challenge. And those challenges can oftentimes be a bit on the rough side. But if we recall, Francis Coquelin was the same way. The Frenchman went from accumulating a yellow card every match, to every other, then gradually down to sporadic matches. It was actually a painless transition that did not cause much of a problem.

Granit Xhaka can do the exact same thing. While it obviously looks easy on paper, if Francis Coquelin can do it, why not Xhaka?

On to the second issue. The one that is less easy to overcome. His current contract. Xhaka is under contract at Monchengladbach until 2019. He has a £21 million release clause but that does not become available until 2017. So until that time, Arsenal would be negotiating with the good graces of Xhaka’s current team and agent. Not only that, but we do not have any indication that the young Swiss is wanting to get away.

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The market value of Xhaka currently sits at £14 million. But if the release-clause-to-be is set at £21 million, you can bet that any transfer would have to be around that range.

While it looks to be a great fit for Arsenal, it will come down to whether or not Wenger wants to spend money on something he may have not yet identified as a problem. It is not always a good thing to bank on that. Whatever the case, Arsenal need a midfielder along the mold of Xhaka. Why not make him a Gunner?