Arsenal: Is Granit Xhaka Less Than What Was Hoped For?

Granit Xhaka arrived at Arsenal for a hefty price tag and with big expectations on his shoulders. But is he the player that we hoped for when he signed?

It’s been a tough start to Arsenal life for Granit Xhaka. He originally found first team minutes difficult to come by (main due to Coqzorla’s impressive form). While the Swiss man fired in some great goals in the early months, it was far from plain sailing.

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Injuries to both Coquelin and Cazorla gave Xhaka more opportunities. Performances were promising but mistakes were not rare. Be it the red card against Swansea or the penalty give away against Stoke. Xhaka was surrounded by too much controversy for Wenger and Arsenal’s liking.

While I still see a big future for Granit at Arsenal. I still wonder whether he will ever become the player that Gooners envisioned when he signed.

For years Arsenal was criticised for having a soft centre. Since the departures of Gilberto Silva and Patrick Viera, Arsenal found it difficult to physically dominate the midfield.

Coquelin’s shock return after a loan spell at Charlton breeded some much needed physicality into the side. But he was still not the box-box physical specimen that Gooners yearned for.

Enter Granit Xhaka. The Swiss enforcer was purchased early in the transfer window last summer. A history of hard tackles and bite made Gooners everywhere salivate at the prospect of a new midfield dominator. Finally, Arsenal had truly replaced the great Captain Viera…or so it seemed.

Having watched Xhaka many times this season, his bite and physicality is almost never in doubt. The Swiss man doesn’t shy away from a tackle and picks up his fair share of cards. But one distinct difference between Viera and Xhaka is pace, or lack of it in Xhaka’s part.

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Viera never had raw pace but had a power about him that allowed him to bludgeon opponents out the way. While he was seen as an enforcer, I always saw him as more of a box to box destroyer (like young Yaya Toure used to be), letting the likes of Petit and Silva do the enforcing next to him.

Coquelin seems to have the Petit role sorted but Xhaka’s style doesn’t emulate that of Viera. Xhaka is not one to fly forward and then make a stunning recovery tackle. Granit is more one to stay well positioned and spread the play as a deep lying pivot. Was too much expected of Xhaka or is he just a different type of player than we thought he was?

I tend to lean towards the latter. Xhaka may not be setting the world alight but his potential is there for all to see. He reminds me more of Xabi Alonso than Patrick Viera and maybe Gooners need to accept that he is not the Frenchman’s replacement.

Xhaka is a player in his own right and his qualities are different to those before him. He will never be a real box to box flyer and we shouldn’t expect that.

I still feel Granit would be better suited next to a Ramsey or Cazorla rather than Coquelin or Elneny. With Ramsey now fit, maybe Wenger will allow such a partnership to develop.

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So what do you think Gooners? Is Granit Xhaka less than what we hoped for? Or will he proved to become an Arsenal stalwart in years to come? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.