If you believe the papers, Arsene Wenger swiped right on Granit Xhaka quite some time ago and has been waiting patiently for the Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder to return the favour.
Having kept his counsel for quite some time, the 23-year-old now appears willing to flirt a little, blowing us a kiss from his homeland and even flashing a bit of leg.
Speaking to Swiss television station SRF, Xhaka initially suggested he’s the “wrong person to ask” about Arsenal’s reported interest but confirmed that the Gunners are “absolutely” a club he could imagine playing for.
“Whether there are talks or not, the clubs Gladbach and Arsenal know that, but as of now I am still a Gladbach player. It might change in the next weeks or it might not change.”
“There will definitely be a decision before the European Championship.”
On Tuesday, Gladbach’s sporting director Max Eberl confirmed an offer is on the table from an unnamed club. It’s thought Arsenal could be willing to part with as much as €43 million, a sum that rivals those shelled out for Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
Given the proliferation of Xhaka to Arsenal stories it looks as though we’re edging nearer to a sexy conclusion.
We need someone
Xhaka is someone
therefore we need Xhaka
For Xhaka and reasons…
I am someone too!
It’s so nice to be needed.
Alas, the cold, hard truth – you are nobody. Arsenal do not need you.
Someone needed to say it.
You r someone! *The Waif strikes you down with a stick*
Yes, you’re somebody but we don’t need somebody who is not good at football. That’s why we have one Theo Walcott
A concrete offer for Granit ( it seems)
Concrete as a medium of currency? things are getting quite interesting i must say…
Still not taking this one for Granit until it’s on arsenal.com
Also, does he have the moooves like Xhaka!?
They’ve only just put up the article about us re-signing Martin Keown………..
Bild reporting it today again.
http://sportbild.bild.de/bundesliga/vereine/bundesliga/granit-xhaka-mental-alles-nicht-einfach-transfer-premier-league-45864990.sport.html
Isn’t Bild the German equivalent of the Daily Star? (I’m being serious btw).
yeah, they are, but a friend in Germany keeps telling me they often bring exclusive breaking news on football transfers…
so they’re not then
they tend to be quite informed and reliable when it comes to german transfer business
They’re a tabloid, but their exclusives are pretty soldii. they’re well connected.
´Bild´ is more like the ´Sun`. But when it comes to sports and especially football they´re quite reliable.
The article above comes from ´Sportbild´, which is different, as it is a sports weekly (although it is a Bild offspring)
Just bilding hopes
Very interesting read until I got to the end where I realized I couldn’t read German.
His stats are freaking amazing in FM so he must be good.
Good in FIFA too.
I really hope you’re being sarcastic, but its hard to tell nowadays since so many judge real players based on computer game stats..
In my league table Chelsea are 15th, have sacked Hiddink and hired Moyes so if there’s a more accurate representation of how good players are other than FM I don’t know what it is
In my league table in may 2018 Leicester are facing relegation and Derby County is chasing second alongside with Aston Villa & me and my rebuilt Charlton is about to finish 4th.. world class difficulty and still not anywhere near reality 🙂
Xhaka does much well i think, together we lift title so happy for Gooners.
Say what?!
“Xhaka is a very good player, in my honest opinion. With him at the club we are capable of winning titles. I’ll be very happy for Arsenal, and indeed the fans, were this transfer to happen.”
It’s not that difficult to translate, really!
I like the name. We want the name. Sign the name.
Granit? I thought we wanted a bit of steel in our midfield. Ah well sign him up anyway he seems hard.
He’s good. But is he 43m good? Maybe he is an investment for the future, we’ll see..
Prices have inflated IMMENSELY in the last few years.
That’s Euros – I would say equivalent to what we paid for Arshavin back in the day considering the sharp rise in transfer fees lately.
Wenger is known for his value for money or cut-price deals, isn’t he?!
43m is with add ons which require getting Ballon d’Or 10 straight years and a bazillion goals scored.
I think prices are pretty much unimportant at this point in (english) football. The club have so much money and will get so much more during the years to come, so the difference between 13 and 43 is more less only about other circumstances rather than footballing ability. Who’s interested, agents, is the player willing to fight his way out or not, how good are the negotiators, how rich are the selling club, does the player fill a certain gap at the club (Sterling and Delph at City), etc, etc.
I like Granit a lot solid as rock in the midfield….. (ill get my coat)
I’ve always dreamed of Xhaka at Arsenal that i would consider suiciding if it doesn’t happen, huge step forward for Arsenal and he’s worth every penny we would pay for him believe me.
If you suicide you shall have left is all alone to bear the agony of seeing him suffer one injury after another – the arsenal way
i will consider suiciding hahahahahahahahahahah
Granit confirms the concrete intrest from Arsenal to build the midfield foundations
“It might change in the next weeks or it might not change”
ooof, what a tease!
*you and Xhaka matched*
Wenger: hey, how’s it going ?
Xhaka: hey! I’m good u? ?
Wenger:?Nandos?
But did he swipe left or right on Tinder? We need to know these things!!
How do you pronounce his name?
Shakka. As in Shakka Khan.
I think your find that’s –
CHUKA KHAN !!!!
According to the phonetic spelling of his name on Wikipedia, we should be pronouncing it basically like this: Graneet Jaka (the ‘xh’ makes the same sound in English as the ‘j’ in ‘judge’).
It’s pronounced Jak-ah, courtesy of my Albanian friends.
I’ve lived in Albania for 15 years and know to lingo. I have never seen him play however.
Third Plebeian and Zilhad are right.
His surname is pronounced as Jack (in English – not American – pronunciation!) followed by a phonetic “a”.
As for his first name, you won’t be far wrong at all by saying just “Granite”.
Looking forward to a GranitCoq midfield defensive combo next year, if this guy, Xhaka, is as good as his apparent price suggests!
In Albania? 15 years? I guess you’ve been kidnapped by narcos there’s no way of spending time more wisely down there..
Please don’t ask. 🙂
Although, had I survived 15 years of dealing narcotics here, I’d have actually ended up in the Parliament by now!
I was meant to stay for a much shorter time.
Life here is difficult, but the people here have one thing going: They are blessed with magnificent natural scenery. Furthermore, at the right places, you can actually be safer from crime than in a typical big european city.
Honestly I know it’s great because we all want someone new. But I really don’t see what all the fuss is about this guy, and I don’t see what he brings to the team that we don’t already have.
Happy to be proven wrong, but even if we do sign him, and while we could use a few more squad players like him, I really haven’t seen anything from him to set him apart or justify some of the eye watering transfer fees we’ve seen quoted for him.
Tall.
That would be a change for us 😉
In my opinion:
Agility
Strength (Coq is a very good tackler, but as far as his stature concern he is a level lower than Wanyama, Dier, or even Fellaini and Dembelé)
Leadership “abilities”
… coupled with youth, technical abilities (he has the 4th most passes per game in European top leagues (82.7) with the accuracy of Mesut, Cesc or Ramsey) and desire to play in England.
Coupled with even Ramsey, Elneny, Santi or Coquelin – that would be a massive DM/CM partnership!
He reminds me a lot like Arteta.
He can dictate the pace of the game ;slow it down or speed it up.
He has great long passing and can ping a ball.
He can tackle, win headers and has a great first touch.
The perfect replacement to Arteta.
I’m so looking forward to Thomas’ replacement ( kroos anyone ???? )
Mkihitaryan hopefully
Well if he’s saying it so am i.
Arsenal is absolutely a club I could play for.
Now, I just have to play the waiting game.
I can confirm that you may or may not sign for Arsenal in the coming weeks.
I hope that puts your mind at rest.
walcott got 140k a week
anything is possible my friend
Ive been sitting by my phone all evening. So far it hasnt rung/ringed at all. But this is a weight off my mind. I’ll sleep easy tonight.
There will definitely be a decision before the European championship.
I’m sure someone will make a decision about something by then.
If he plays for us, can we yell BOOM XHAKA LAKA whenever he scores or makes a crunching tackle?
Indeed we can.
Or we can chant ‘Xhaka can, Xhaka can’ and blow eighties sounding saxophones….
Vuvuzelas?
or when need a goal, it should be Xhaka attack
Can someone who follows the german league tell how good he actually is ?
My German (arsenal supporting) cousin says he is the dogs bollocks. Strong and consistent, a fighter. He also thinks calling him a DM is a bit inacurate: he thinks he plays a CM role making the team tick.
yeah he will probably be Cazorla’s replacement in the future
I’d say he is kinda similar to players like Tony Kroos/Bastian Schweinsteiger, with a bit of Flamini on him (loves to tackle and some problems with keeping a cool head sometimes, so is quite the aggresive player, perhaps what we need)
If he loves to tackle and willing to take a couple of red cards for the team, I say snap him up!!!
So a new Arteta, nice. Though he looks like a tall Wilshere in the youtube clips.
I totally agree with you.
He’s been integral for Borussia Mönchengladbach. He’s a very good passer, long and short, a deep lying playmaker but also very feisty and combative. He’s good a good tackler and good at intercepting. He needs to work on his temperament though, he’s prone to getting carried away and being too agressive. We’re slightly overpaying, I think, but I’d say he’s a great signing, exactly what we need, combining the best of Coquelin and Arteta.
Looks to me like a Xabi Alonso type, but stronger and more aggressive
I’m just saying I remember all the M’villa’s, lorik cana’s etc everyone thought we should break the bank for.
Heck before he moved to city everyone here was clamouring for Gareth Barry.
A players ability isn’t linked to how often you see his name linked to us in the rumour mill is all I’m saying.
haha Lorik Cana! such an age ago that link.
I think we should go for Felipe Melo.
I think we should go for M’Villa
Don’t forget Nuri Sahin. And that Xabi Alonso guy.
Hey, Xabi Alonso has never stopped being good! I still wish we’d signed him.
If only Liverpool would’ve offered a couple of million £ more for Gareth Barry :’-(
Nuri Sahin is extremely talented. Injuries messed him up. World class when fit.
What about Frey?
True, but Xhaka can. He’s a gunner.
Capoue.
Wenger get the flippin checkbook out already!
Great addition. Plays forward incisively. Defends well.
Now for a striker and a specialist wide man.
We’re going large. I can feel it in teh air tonight.
don’t forget barrel chested commanding cantre-back
What’s a cantre back? Is that a new position?
It’s what our midfielders do when the other team has a break away, they “cantre back”
It could be ”Kante back” … the Mirror says the little fella is on his way to Arsenal. I give it five on the poo meter
And a Centre Half! I am done with Per/Gab!
Blimey is Phil Collins in the building?! ?
He seems quite average…
There’s nothing more exciting in football than a footballer neither denying or admitting a transfer related story.
BOOM!!!! XHAKALAKA!!!!
“As of today I am at Gladbach, but London is a beautiful city, and Arsenal is an awesome club.”
Boom Xhaka-laka.
Xhaka xhaka bum bum, alala bum bum!
Thank goodness, finally we’re signing a striker!!
He’s a what? Right ok….
But will he be BFFs with Mesut?
I imagine it’s actually Dick Law on Tinder trying to find players. Is it actually Xhaka or is he being catfished by his brother?
Xhaka khan xhaka khan xhaka cant tell us what is happening because hes being a sod
Based on youtube, that’s a sexy leg he is flashing. Of course youtube showed Andre Santos flashing sexy legs too.
The season finished 3 days ago and I’m already reloading NewsNow every hour 🙁
God help you
Xhaka alone may not change arsenal.
It may not, but it might.
We’re buying another player I havent seen play before…anything good on youtube?
Hope he’s of the same caliber as Mesut and Alexis.
I hope we get him, solely for the reason that I can’t wait to hear Michael Owen attempt to pronounce his name.
Grant Exhacker
He’ll probably just call him Grant Hold and hope no one notices the midget count.
*CUNT Bloody typo
Typos won’t save you, Michael.
Always loved his play from the Basel days, he was the stand out player in that team and so young. Marked him as one to watch alongside shaqiri.
Hope he comes tho, his combo with elneny will free up the front 4 to great effect. Steel and height we have needed for a while now.
Xhaka da Zulu?
Get in mate!
I cannee see us spunking the 40-50 mil that’s needed on a proven striker if we’re laying out 35odd mill on a midfielder…. ?
So I have now watched a you tube clip and I am a fucking expert on him! 🙂
He looks like he passes well, it would be great to have him and Mesut passing the ball here and there – as long as the other players are making the runs which we don’t seem to be doing much of lately…
Clearly Wenger looking for upgrade on Coq and Santi to combine with Ramsey or Jack! I think its a good buy!
Yeah, because Ramsey and Jack are so reliable and consistent.
Also, I’m not sure there are many players that are an upgrade on Cazorla
Agreed, he is an upgrade on Flam and Arteta but not our beloved Santi or his boy!
I’ll wait
Arsenal rocked by Granit news
If this doesn’t go through, the sh*tstorm that will happen…
Xhaka is good, but can we sign Own Goal? He was quite prolific at a start of last season…
and Liverpoo are a bit rubbish….
…and the pundits were wrong as usual…COYG!
…and Michael Owen…laugh out loud.
Though slightly overpriced, Xhaka is a quality and exactly what our midfield needs. He’s like a young schweni or arteta. Very aggressive, good in the air. Not the fastest of players though. Need to get him before city do what they do best.
The Unsullied!
There’ll be no midfield leakage with a Coq Xhaka partnership.
Should also consider Zelalem though. He has looked good for Rangers in the rough and tumble.
Seeing how we’re losing three midfielders, and we’ll only sign one or two, I’m hoping a young gun gets promoted.
Before Zelalem I’d consider Toral, could very well be a squad player and battle Elneny and Ramsey in the pecking order
I would really love me some GranitCoq.
That’ll provide the power and penetration we need.
let hope he isn’t injury prone at arsenal