Arsenal announced the much-anticipated signing of Granit Xhaka on Wednesday afternoon. The Swiss international had been expected to be officially announced after pictures were leaked over the weekend.
Twitter: RT @NairaBET: Looks like Arsenal have signed Granit Xhaka.. These leaked pictures have emerged https://t.co/O1aGu4zpXw (@Prosowisdom)
Due to injuries to Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere, Arsenal lacked any real passing ability in the middle – although Elneny did plug that gap somewhat after January. Xhaka not only gives Arsenal the ability to pass forward, but also much needed physicality. His signing, however should not be the end of Arsenal’s transfer dealings, he fills a much needed hole, but does not address all of Arsenal’s issues.
After four seasons at the club, it seems Olivier Giroud’s place in the starting XI may be at risk. The French forward has performed well for Arsenal, but does not have the goal scoring prowess that Arsenal need, and other clubs have. Tottenham, Leicester City and Manchester City all have strikers who can score 20 or more goals a season.
In recent weeks there have been a few names linked with Arsenal. Chief among those interests, is Alvaro Morata. The Spainish striker has been heavily linked with the club, but has a troublesome buy-back clause with Madrid that would need to be activated before any potential Arsenal transfer could occur. Real Madrid, reportedly have a £24 million buy-back clause in Morata contract, and would be looking to sell him on for an even greater fee.
The fee seems slightly excessive considering Morata is not a prolific goalscorer, but is still only 23-years-old. Outside of Morata, Gonzalo Higuain has been rumoured, but Arsenal would likely face competition from other big clubs, while the fee would be astronomical. However, Higuain did finish with 36 goals in 35 appearances for Napoli in the Serie A this season, and could yet be the world-class striker Arsenal need.
The next position that Arsenal need to address is the centreback position. Arsenal’s Petr Cech won the Golden Glove award for keeping the most clean sheets lasts season, but the defensive solidarity needed to win the award was often missing throughout the season. Arsenal have arguably the best fullback combination in the League but have struggled to find a partner for Laurent Koscielny.
Per Mertesacker has begun to show signs of his age, and his lack of pace is a huge weakness to Arsenal. Gabriel Paulista, who was bought to replace Mertesacker, has struggled to adapt to the League. Arsenal’s forgotten man, Calum Chambers was supposed to be a long-term replacement at the position but has’t been given enough of an opportunity to stake his claim in the team.
Bayern Munich defender, Mehdi Benatia could fill Arsenal’s defenisve gap nicely. The Moroccan was one of the best defenders in Europe at the time of his transfer to Bayern, but after a few injuries he never secured a first team spot with the Germans. Moreover, with the emergence of Kimmich and the newly signed, Mats Hummels, his chances of a first team football may well have diminished completely.
Another defender Arsenal have been linked with is from Benatia’s former club, Roma, the is Greek defender Kostas Manolas. The defender had been targeted by Arsenal two seasons ago but he chose to move to the Serie A after Arsenal refused to pay the £12 million valuation. Roma may have to sell the defender in a bid to avoid Financial Fair Play sanctions, meaning Arsenal could well make a cheap signing. At the fullback positions, Arsenal may even have to find replacements for Debuchy and Gibbs if either decide to leave.
Next season may well be one of the most competitve yet. The influx of new managers and new money, means Arsenal cannot afford to be indecisive in the transfer market. Xhaka is a start, but Arsenal must address some of the other glaring problems in their squad if they want to stay ahead of their rivals.
