Arsenal: Xhaka, Ramsey Partnership Ideal

Perhaps the most intriguing question facing Arsenal next season is how the Gunners will line up in midfield. The arrival of Granit Xhaka means Arsene Wenger has a shiny new toy to play with, but can the Swiss ace strike up a partnership with Aaron Ramsey?

As the European Championships get down to the nitty-gritty of the competition, it is now a good time to reflect on the football that we have seen so far. From an Arsenal perspective it has been a rather mixed bag.

Mesut Ozil has played well but hasn’t exactly sparkled throughout the competition, also missing a penalty against Slovakia. Olivier Giroud has also played fairly well but has reminded us all of his hot and cold tendencies. Furthermore on the striker front, no candidate has really stood out. With Romelu Lukaku and Alvaro Morata both failing to truly impress during their time on the pitch.

Two bright spots have come in the form of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey. While Xhaka has had to shoulder the brunt of the blame for Switzerland’s exit from the Euros, he proved to be an outstanding signing. Logging two man of the match performances and a sterling display against France that saw him fall second in rating only to Paul Pogba, Xhaka has been quite impressive.

Ramsey has played a potent role in Wales success so far. The Arsenal man has shimmered even though he has had to perform alongside the blinding quality of Gareth Bale.

With both of these midfielders putting in quality performances, one cannot help but imagine what a midfield base consisting of Xhaka and Ramsey would look like. While Arsene Wenger has many choices when it comes to his midfield composition, Xhaka and Ramsey are probably the two players with the greatest potential amidst Arsenal’s midfield corps.

Mohammed Elnenny and Francis Coquelin are both quality players who will bring much needed depth and versatility to Arsenal’s squad. These two players embody something that Arsenal have lacked for what feels like years now: solid options. However both Elneny and Coquelin are quite limited when compared to the almost world class talent of Xhaka and Ramsey.

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Santi Cazorla is a world class player too. However the miniature Spanish magician is on the wrong side of 30 and Arsenal need to start preparing for life without him. Cazorla is a great player but when it comes to minutes, the manager will have to favor the younger Xhaka and Ramsey until merit says otherwise.

Xhaka and Ramsey symbolize two building blocks of Arsenal’s future, these players need to feel important and solidified within the gaffer’s plans. Of course doing what is best for the team is the most important thing, so we won’t know what actually works on the pitch until the season gets underway. But my point is Arsenal will be expected to play Xhaka right away and it’s time Aaron Ramsey’s position was cemented.

So on paper, Arsenal’s first choice midfield should be the industrious pairing of Xhaka and Ramsey. But would the two really be solid enough to bring the Gunners success?

Granit Xhaka is not what you would call a destroyer, but that is simply because there is far too much class in his game to call him such a limited term. According to stat site Squawka, Xhaka averaged five defensive actions in his four appearances throughout the Euros. For some perspective, that is one more defensive action than Francis Coquelin averaged last season.