Since joining Arsenal in the summer of 2016, for a fee in the region of £35m, Granit Xhaka has struggled to wholly convince as an elite level central midfielder. Whilst he boasts brilliant vision, a wonderful passing range and a penchant for 30-yard thunderbolts, various drawbacks in his game have seen him slowly become a much-maligned figure amongst a section of the Emirates Stadium faithful. These deficiencies went unaddressed for a long time and Xhaka himself appeared unable to alter his game in order to iron the mistakes out. His lack of pace and mobility, coupled with his regular losses of defensive concentration and habit for making rash tackles, led to him becoming a defensive...
Full Story »