Arsenal transfers: Gunners grab Swiss star Granit Xhaka for reported £30m

Swiss to solve engine room conundrum

Entering Euro 2016 with more than 40 caps for Switzerland, Xhaka is thus hugely experienced for a player of his age.

Wenger is understood to have moved for Xhaka, whose brother Taulant represents Albania, because Mikel Arteta and Tomas Rosicky are leaving the Emirates, with Mathieu Flamini potentially joining them.

Central midfield has long been touted as an area of weakness within the Arsenal squad, because of the injury-prone nature of departing duo Arteta (linked with joining Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City) and Rosicky, plus Jack Wilshere, who also has a poor fitness record.

Xhaka can make a difference

Granit Xhaka to Arsenal is a done deal based on these: pic.twitter.com/ksYeHKHoFG

— Coral (@Coral) May 21, 2016

The Gunners have signed an engine room operator at a rate of one transfer per year since 2011. Beginning with Arteta, they added Santi Cazorla in 2012, then Flamini returned to north London and the disastrous loan move for Sweden’s Kim Kallstrom followed.

Polish youngster Krystian Bielik, instead of highly-rated compatriot Grzegorz Krychowiak, joined in 2015, but is yet to play a Premier League game for Arsenal; while in January, Egypt midfielder Mohamed Elneny joined the club.

Wenger and Gunners fans alike will hope Xhaka can address the problems in the middle of the park. He will compete with Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey and Wilshere for a spot in the XI.

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