Arsenal: Granit Xhaka In A Different League To Victor Wanyama

Tottenham Hotspur have made their first foray into the transfer market by signing Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama. But who did the better business early on, Arsenal with Xhaka or Spurs with Wanyama?

Within a month of the season ending, both sides of the bitter North London Rivalry have been actively linked with a variety of players. As of 24^th June, they have both now acted on such rumors, signing one player each.

The two players in question are fascinating ones as well. Given both team’s needs to strengthen in the central midfield area, the two players that have been signed this Summer will forever be compared to the other, and perhaps the success of one transfer may well be deemed by the failure of the other.

For Arsenal, they were able to act quickly this Summer and bring in Borussia Mochengladbach enforcer Granit Xhaka for a fee in the region of £30 million. It was a signing that was met with a positive reception from Gunners’ fans, but has it been marred by Spurs’ recent addition?

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Mauricio Pochettino made his first dip into the treacherous transfer waters this Summer by signing ex-player Victor Wanyama from Southampton for a reported £11 million. Wanyama is a player who had been linked with Arsenal for many years, and much of the Arsenal contingent pining for a defensive midfielder saw him as their savior.

Well, now he is their devil, and leads very much into a comparison of the two players. Which North London club had the better deal?

From a monetary point of view, it is hard to argue with Wanyama’s £11 million price tag. For a player who still has his prime before him – he is only 25 – has shown his quality for both Southampton and Celtic and has Premier League experience, the fee seems like a very good deal for Spurs.

However, a purely monetary view is not all that matters. In fact, in the modern football world where often finances are negligible due to the sheer millions that every top club has to spend, the fee can often become obsolete. Is Ronaldo seen as overpriced at £80 million? No, because he is a player of the upmost ability.

Thereby, saving money isn’t issue for these clubs. Bringing in players who are going to improve not only the squad, but also the starting elven, however, is the name of the transfer game, and Arsenal have certainly won in this department.

Xhaka is a far superior player to Wanyama. The Switzerland star has proven his quality in this Summer’s European Championships, where has played with a beautiful blend of elegance and power. His athletic ability, his power and strength has been on display for all to see, but it does not come at the expense of technical prominence.

This is where, in particular, Xhaka has the edge over Wanyama. They are both defensively sound, excellent readers of the game, strong in the tackle, not afraid to impose their physical dominance on games. However, once with the ball, Xhaka is calm and composed, Wanyama is confused and panicked, and in Arsenal’s possession style game, being comfortable with the ball is an absolute must.

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The two signings will ever be entwined with one another, their successes and failures deemed by the other. Both Arsenal and Spurs hope that their respective additions will satisfy the same need but only time will tell who has done the better business. My money though, is on the Arsenal.

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