Arsene Wenger admits that he prefers Granit Xhaka as a box-to-box midfielder.
The boss spoke to the press ahead of Arsenal’s match away to Hull on Saturday and spoke highly of the new signing, explaining where he sees the Switzerland international playing in the future.
Aaron Ramsey is probably one of the most complete, box-to-box midfielders there is but he’s currently injured and therefore we do have room for an all-round man in the middle who can do just about everything. Could Xhaka be this man?
Wenger on Xhaka: "He has the stature, the strength and power. He's short. I personally prefer him as a box-to-box player."
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley_) September 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/776753536826806272
Xhaka has shown signs of being an excellent all-rounder. Here at Daily Cannon we’ve discussed his balls at length but he also has the discipline to know where his responsibilities lie in defence. He’s a little hot-headed, which can be fine in small doses if he can learn to control it and not get sent off every few games.
Wenger on Xhaka: "He will get games. I like him as a box-to-box midfielder. He has the engine, the power, the long pass."
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) September 16, 2016
However, this also implies that the boss is currently happy with the Coquelin/Cazorla partnership we’ve got going on… which doesn’t appear to be working.
Ultimately, Wenger knows the players better than us and can probably see how they’re developing long before we can. I just hope he’s not being stubborn for the sake of it.