Arsene Wenger is working hard this summer to bring quality players to the Emirates before the next season kicks off. Last season Arsenal missed a glorious opportunity to win the much awaited Premier League title, however things will be much difficult this time due to the arrival of managers like Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. Wenger will need his players firing on a consistent basis for a period of 8 months, if they are going to mount a proper title challenge. Wenger has already signed Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach early in the window and going by his performances in the ongoing Euro 2016, he looks to be an exciting prospect.
His game is very much suited to the style Wenger wants his team to play in. Excellent at sitting deep and screening the back four, Xhaka also the ability to deliver pin point long passes to the attackers upfront. Nobody expects the 23-year-old to carry Arsenal to the title but there is the hope that he could be one of the missing pieces in the puzzle. The statistics show that only three nations have had more possession than Switzerland in the group stages, Germany, Spain and Portugal and Xhaka has been the conductor-in-chief. Everything the Swiss do going forward, normally goes through Xhaka.
Here are three things we have learnt from Xhaka’s performances in the Euros.
Pass Master
Xhaka had more touches than anybody on either team in the group matches against Albania, Romania and France and his passing numbers have been eye-catching. He made more than twice as many passes as any France player in the 0-0 draw last Sunday. Given Xhaka’s preferred postion and Arsenal’s style of play, one can expect the Swiss international to have more possession than anyone on the team, and after seeing him dictate play so beautifully all tournament, Gunner fans should take a sigh of relief.
A leader
Looking at Xhaka’s performances throughout this tournament, one notices that he relishes having the ball at his feet from where he can dictate the tempo of the game. There has been severe criticism of Arsenal for not having a leader on the field, well Xhaka was the captain at Borussia Monchengladbach and the Swiss doesn’t shy away from telling his teammates where to be, barking instructions and making himself available at every opportunity.
Options in the midfield
With the signing of Xhaka, Wenger now has Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Mohamed Elneny, Santi Cazorla and Coquelin to complement the Swiss star. Once a weak spot in the team, the central midfield now looks heavily armed with a variety of different players. It will be interesting to see how wenger decides to utilize his options come August 13th but one thing is for sure that Xhaka will be great asset to the team for years to come.