Arsenal | Xhaka brings style and steel, but what lies ahead for the Gunners?

Aged 23, Xhaka has played over 100 games for Borussia Monchengladbach and even captained the German club in the absence of regular skipper Martin Stranzl.

This is what ex-Gunner Djourou said about the Xhaka: “Granit is a great ball player. The guy has a magical left foot. He can ping the ball all over the place. He is a strong tackler - he is very hard going into tackles - and overall he is a very, very, very good player. He can see a pass. He can tackle, he can assist. I would say, if I am being honest, there is a little bit of a Pirlo about him, just in terms of the precision that he plays the ball with. Granit can play those types of ball. He can come and get the ball and ping it 40 yards onto your feet. He is that kind of player, but with more physicality to his game. It is hard to give a perfect description but I would say he has a bit of Pirlo about him.”

The Gunners have forever been “4 world-class signings away” from winning the league, and with Xhaka roped in by May-end things are looking good for the North-London side. With Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky off the payroll, Arsenal are looking for reinforcements in midfield and the young Swiss is the first scalp.

Standing tall at 6ft 1inch, Xhaka comes into the Gunners’ fold with a good stature and a knack for winning the ball. He hasn’t scored too many goals but he is the scorer of some very outstanding goals. Starting places for Coquelin and Elneny will now be in jeopardy with Xhaka’s arrival. With Ramsey, Cazorla and Ozil also among their midfield ranks Arsenal can turn out to be a force to reckon with in the 2016-17 season.

Arsene Wenger is determined to further add to his squad’s depth and as Mirror Football revealed, Wenger could more than double his current transfer market spending before the window closes at the end of August.

Arsenal scored the least goals among the top 4 teams in the league last season and Juventus striker Alvaro Morata remains a priority for them. However, this deal will be complicated by Real Madrid's buy-back clause, thought to be in the region of €30million (£22.75million).

Speculation and reality haven’t gotten along well as far as the red and white army is concerned. Much to the dismay of the Arsenal fans, transfer tittle-tattle has not always turned into actual signings. Arsenal were heavily linked with Gonzalo Higuain 3 years ago but he ended up at Napoli. At the close of the season “Kante to Arsenal” alerts were on the rise but with Xhaka in the bag, it seems unlikely that the Frenchman will move to London.

The transfer window has not been Wenger’s favourite hunting ground as he hasn’t been particularly active in it compared to the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and even Liverpool for that matter.

With the early signing of Xhaka, Wenger has shown signs of real intent and it’ll be interesting to see if he adds to his kitty by further loosening his pockets. Can these potential signings make up for Arsenal’s fundamental weaknesses? We shall wait and watch.