Arsenal are set to complete a deal for Granit Xhaka ‘imminently’ according to several reputable sources, Fresh Arsenal understands.
The initial fee will be around £30million but the transfer includes bonuses. This has not been confirmed, but his wages are likely to be in the region of £95,000 per week. The 23-year-old is expected to sign a 5-year contract in the coming weeks. We first reported the news on our parent site Fresh Football yesterday.
Xhaka is a combative central midfielder who combines both physical and technical attributes excellently.
The Swiss midfielder has been capped 40 times, scoring 6 goals.
This exciting addition shows the Gunners mean business this summer and if the deal goes through, it will help address one of the key issues currently in the Arsenal squad.
Despite his age, Xhaka plays with a maturity and has been capped 40 times for Switzerland. He stands at over 6ft and is very successful in duels, winning on average 3.5 aerial duels per 90 minutes this season, at a success rate of 56.49%. Despite most of his strengths lying in defensive areas, he can also beat a man, managing to be successful in 81% of his take ons. His pass completion is a respectable 85%, this stat may be distorted by the fact he attempts more than 7 long balls per game – this highlights the quality in his passing range, no Arsenal player comes close to that amount. Xhaka may add more directness to the Gunners style of play. – Fresh Football report.
More to come..