Very exciting. By all accounts he is a top quality signing.

What does the Weng say?

IBL wrote:

He looks like a stretched version of Wilshere

I've been trying to figure out who he looks like, and just as I opened this thread I'd decided it was like a face morph of Ramsey and Wilshere. 

Tam wrote:

IBL wrote:

He looks like a stretched version of Wilshere

I've been trying to figure out who he looks like, and just as I opened this thread I'd decided it was like a face morph of Ramsey and Wilshere. 

looks like Tim Olyphant to me...  lol

I just hope this goes better than the last time we had two young Swiss players competing for a position.

Nice to get some business done early though. Hopefully we can sort out a striker too before the Euros, because afterwards is going to be hell.

Klaus wrote:

I just hope this goes better than the last time we had two young Swiss players competing for a position.

oh God..  you had to bring that up eh?   

Klaus wrote:

I just hope this goes better than the last time we had two young Swiss players competing for a position.

Nice to get some business done early though. Hopefully we can sort out a striker too before the Euros, because afterwards is going to be hell.

Who's the other swiss player?

senderos and djourou

goon wrote:

Don't think it's wasted on Ramsey at all. Aaron makes excellent runs off the ball particularly on the counter. Don't even think it's necessarily wasted on Giroud either as long as he can find himself some space, in behind isn't the only way to utilise a good passer of the ball.

Burnwinter wrote:

Otf left Özil out though. We've got seven solid players for three positions, so doing pretty well here.

Xhaka looks good. Lots of suspensions but very few (touch wood) injuries. He may end up making more appearances for Arsenal than he's been used to.

I was mainly talking about the two centre mid roles but yeah, you can extend that too. Either way we won't need to rely on Santi and Jack (though not sure why the former can't be relied upon). The point is we won't have to rely on Arteta and Flamini. Barring a disaster we should be fine in centre mid, an area that has cost us in the last couple of seasons at some point.

Santi's legs are almost gone..and we need to plan for disasters.. It might be a disaster for others but a normality for us.  I would like another midfield signing (or promote someone internally).. although it should be wayy down the list: striker, winger, cb, cm in that order.

USArsenal wrote:

senderos and djourou

I mean right now.

Mirth wrote:

USArsenal wrote:

senderos and djourou

I mean right now.

i think he is mistakenly counting Elneny as Swiss cuz he played at Basel... 

Nevermind, I thought Elneny played for Schweiz for some reason. The Basel connection fooled me.

How long before he has a stupid stripe shaved into his haircut?

mohan wrote:

Santi's legs are almost gone..and we need to plan for disasters.. It might be a disaster for others but a normality for us.  I would like another midfield signing (or promote someone internally).. although it should be wayy down the list: striker, winger, cb, cm in that order.

Signing a player to play in case Santi, Aaron, Jack, Xhaka and Elneny all get injured leaving us with just Coq is absurd. 6 players for 2 roles is more than enough.

Get in. Welcome to Arsenal Xhaka. Great name, great player.

goon wrote:

mohan wrote:

Santi's legs are almost gone..and we need to plan for disasters.. It might be a disaster for others but a normality for us.  I would like another midfield signing (or promote someone internally).. although it should be wayy down the list: striker, winger, cb, cm in that order.

Signing a player to play in case Santi, Aaron, Jack, Xhaka and Elneny all get injured leaving us with just Coq is absurd. 6 players for 2 roles is more than enough.

Jack and Santi spent most of last season in the treatment room though, and Elneny looks like he could have a Gabriel-esque second season while he's adapting. And Ramsey still looks like Wenger's favoured right-winger.

We made the mistake thinking that Flamini, Rosicky and Arteta should be more than enough cover last time, and it didn't turn out too well.

good match comp that showcases good passing between the lines, long passing,  as well as his ability to win challenges

Klaus wrote:

We made the mistake thinking that Flamini, Rosicky and Arteta should be more than enough cover last time, and it didn't turn out too well.

Wenger made that mistake and Rosicky was never really a CM. We've replaced Arteta and Flamini now. In a pinch we have other options for midfield too. Even if you take it that Jack will miss 75% of the season I think we are covered in midfield now. Its currently the strongest looking area of the pitch for us depth-wise.

Klaus wrote:

goon wrote:

Signing a player to play in case Santi, Aaron, Jack, Xhaka and Elneny all get injured leaving us with just Coq is absurd. 6 players for 2 roles is more than enough.

Jack and Santi spent most of last season in the treatment room though, and Elneny looks like he could have a Gabriel-esque second season while he's adapting. And Ramsey still looks like Wenger's favoured right-winger.

We made the mistake thinking that Flamini, Rosicky and Arteta should be more than enough cover last time, and it didn't turn out too well.

Nobody thought Flamini, Rosicky and Arteta were adequate cover, at least I didn't.

If we can't depend on those guys then they should be sold and replaced with guys we can depend on rather than have 8 centre mids in the squad. I'm not buying that scenario playing out though and I think it's the strongest area of the pitch for us by quite a distance. 

goon wrote:

Nobody thought Flamini, Rosicky and Arteta were adequate cover, at least I didn't.

I meant us as a club.

If you count Ramsey as a winger and think Jack and Santi are notoriously unreliable then our options aren't looking nearly as good. I think central midfield gives the illusion of being strong right now but it's going to crumble easily, similar to the central defence.

More midfield players. Wenger loves midfielders.

I want a pure straight up striker and a defender.

Gazza M wrote:

good match comp that showcases good passing between the lines, long passing,  as well as his ability to win challenges

That's a really impressive compilation. He looks a genuinely superb player. A proper centre midfielder, bit of a throwback almost. Going to change the dynamics of the team for sure because we have no one at all like him - that's exciting in itself.

Very happy with the signing.

"When I was younger, even though I had a big brother, my parents would give me the house key every day. It’s in my head that I am a leader."

Full interview: http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160523/video-watch-xhaka-s-first-interview

Klaus wrote:

Nevermind, I thought Elneny played for Schweiz for some reason. The Basel connection fooled me.

Jesus Klaus, your standards are slipping. I wouldn't say it's quite a Rexian slide but that's the direction you're headed. 

Johan DjourouVerified account ‏@JohanDjourou 14m14 minutes ago
Johan Djourou Retweeted Arsenal FC
you guys are getting a very courageous player, very intelligent, and full of skills and power! Welcome to @Arsenal G

Gunner89 wrote:

Johan DjourouVerified account ‏@JohanDjourou  14m14 minutes ago
Johan Djourou Retweeted Arsenal FC
you guys are getting a very courageous player, very intelligent, and full of skills and power! Welcome to @Arsenal G

all the things we were hoping you'd be Johan..   but ultimately weren't

From 2012, shortly after joining Gladbach:

Xhaka surprised by Gladbach morale
Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka has revealed his surprise at the low morale in the club's dressing room, while he also says he will not change his attitude despite facing criticism.

Xhaka, 20, arrived at Monchengladbach from Basel in the summer, with the club also bringing in Alvaro Dominguez and Luuk de Jong to fill the boots of the outgoing Marco Reus, Dante and Roman Neustadter.

And the Switzerland international has found on arrival that, despite bringing in new signings, the selling of key players has left a dressing room feeling down with little hope for their season.

"After I arrived, I heard my new team-mates saying 'we have got to hope that we don't go down','' Xhaka told Tagesanzeiger.

"I thought to myself: what kind of a mentality is that? I did not know that from Basel, where everything was about winning.''

Monchengladbach have made a slow start to the season, currently sitting tenth in the Bundesliga, picking up just two wins from seven games.

And for Xhaka, the situation of not challenging for silverware is a new one after the success he experienced in Basel.

"My career has been very successful so far,'' he said. "In my Basel time, I picked up three titles and it was nothing but positive for two years running, but in Monchengladbach it was something new to me.

"The way I think just is not the same as the way they think in Gladbach."

It is this winning mentality in the Xhaka that has led to many in Germany believing the player has a bad attitude.

"I was told by journalists that I should not be so outspoken," Xhaka said. "I told them 'sorry, that is the way I am, I am not here to fight against relegation'.

"It was a huge transition for me, I work in a different way. I think about how I can win a game and not about how I cannot lose it.''

Xhaka's way of thinking has even led to him being involved in disputes with players in his own team. He clashed with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen as the players returned to the dressing room at half-time of a Europa League game against Fenerbahce recently.

He has since warned his team-mate not to treat him like a child.

"Not even my parents act with me the way he did,'' he said. "He is the same age as me and I don't just accept anything. We had a dispute in the tunnel and I thought I was imagining things.

"We had a discussion the day after and I made it clear that I don't accept everything. Then it comes across that I am an arrogant Swiss, but I don't care - I know what I am capable of.''

I like every word of what he says there. Hope he still has that burning desire to win and the confidence to bring that with him and ask similar questions of anyone that warrants it at Arsenal.

Uh, I like that!

Make him the captain.

goon wrote:

Don't think it's wasted on Ramsey at all. Aaron makes excellent runs off the ball particularly on the counter. Don't even think it's necessarily wasted on Giroud either as long as he can find himself some space, in behind isn't the only way to utilise a good passer of the ball.

In theory yes but Ramsey hardly get to the end of those balls ahead of an opponent. He is too slow.

Xhaka had to keep mum on his move to Arsenal: "I had to keep quiet for a couple of weeks, which I usually don't like to do so it was a bit weird for me."

Doesn't seem like he succeeded though His giveaway about London in the press conference few days ago was so obvious.

I know all the excitement and new signing and all, but on second thoughts...another midfielder ...whatever skills he has he'll have to lose and adapt to the wenger style.Or dicked around left to right. So, meh.
Give us the bloody striker wenger.

I can't watch youtube videos at work, but how does he deal with balls that are floated into him?

Also, does he use the outside of his foot much?

Ricky1985 wrote:

He has since warned his team-mate not to treat him like a child.

"Not even my parents act with me the way he did,'' he said. "He is the same age as me and I don't just accept anything. We had a dispute in the tunnel and I thought I was imagining things.

I like every word of what he says there. Hope he still has that burning desire to win and the confidence to bring that with him and ask similar questions of anyone that warrants it at Arsenal.

Yeah love this part too. Would love if he beat some sense and balls into some of our players, if I had to bet it'd be Gibbs and Walcott he'll run into first.

Told you he's the new Vieira. Might put some money on him being sent off 3+ times next season

One plays for Gladbach and the other two play distinctly different roles for Arsenal, little basis for comparison imo

jones wrote:

Ricky1985 wrote:

I like every word of what he says there. Hope he still has that burning desire to win and the confidence to bring that with him and ask similar questions of anyone that warrants it at Arsenal.

Yeah love this part too. Would love if he beat some sense and balls into some of our players, if I had to bet it'd be Gibbs and Walcott he'll run into first.

Told you he's the new Vieira. Might put some money on him being sent off 3+ times next season

Sounds like he won't take shit from no one. Seems like he would batter you if he's just seen you jump out of a 50-50 challenge.

Bet Little Feo's shitting himself.

Chuffed with this signing. Finally some proper bite and aggression to add into the mix

I'm exciting by the prospect of having those qualities in the team again. If his technical ability can match that, he sounds like exactly what we need