With the Gunners securing a deal to bring the Borussia Monchengladbach star to the Emirates Stadium, Goal takes a look at how he could fit in to Arsene Wenger's starting XI
Arsenal have completed their first summer signing by securing a deal for Granit Xhaka.
The 23-year-old arrives from Borussia Monchengladbach on a long-term deal and bolsters Arsene Wenger's midfield ahead of next season's title challenge.
With that in mind, we take a look at where the ball-winning midfielder could fit into Wenger's system at the Emirates Stadium next season.
Wenger is expected to keep his first choice back five of Petr Cech, Hector Bellerin, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal intact, while Olivier Giroud will continue up front unless a striker such as Alvaro Morata is brought in.
Wenger is determined, however, to bolster his midfield following the likely departures of Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky and with Mohamed Elneny leaving for Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt in January.
Santi Cazorla should return to his role as a guaranteed starter at the base of the midfield following his long-term injury lay-off and Xhaka will compete with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Francis Coquelin to partner him.
The Cazorla-Coquelin axis was effective for Arsenal during the first half of the season and Wenger could even opt to pair the Frenchman with Xhaka in the Gunners' most difficult games.
On the other hand, both Xhaka and Coquelin could drop out against weaker opposition to make way for the more attack-minded Ramsey or Wilshere, who is set to be handed a new contract after recovering from injury.
Whatever the specifics of his role, Xhaka's tough tackling and leadership qualities should make him a valuable addition if he can deal with the pressure of a transfer fee that could exceed €30 million.
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