Arsenal confirm Granit Xhaka signing; will 'promising but unfinished'player thrive in England?

Arsenal have signed Swiss international Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club have announced.

Arsenal have signed Swiss international Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club have announced.

Xhaka, who made 102 appearances for the Bundesliga club and 41 caps for Switzerland at the age of only 23, has joined the club on a long-term deal. 

Though the finances of the deal haven't been disclosed, reports estimate it at around £30m, with as much as £10m extra in performance-related bonuses, which will make the player Arsenal's most-expensive midfielder ever.

"Arsenal have reached an agreement with Granit Xhaka to join the club on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee," read a statement on Arsenal.com.

Arsenal were known to be in the market for a midfielder with Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini all set to depart the Emirates as their respective contracts run out next month.

Xhaka - AFP

“Granit Xhaka is an exciting young player, already with good Champions League and Bundesliga experience,” manager Arsene Wenger told the club’s official website. 

"We have been watching him for a long time now and he is a player who will add quality to our squad. We wish Granit a good Euro 2016 with Switzerland and look forward to welcoming him to Arsenal ahead of next season.”

HOW WILL HE FIT IN?

Wenger is seeking to add mettle to his midfield with Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini all departing the Emirates with their respective contracts having run out. 

The money spent on Xhaka is only likely to be the start of Arsenal's spending with a central defender and a striker also being lined up by the club as they seek to find a level of consistency that ended up with Leicester ending their latest pursuit of a first Premier League since 2004. 

Xhaka is likely to slot into the Arsenal side, as it currently stands, as follows:

VIEW FROM GERMANY: 'Promising, but unfinished'

Florian Bogner of Eurosport Germany is cautiously optimistic about Xhaka's prospects of thriving in England: "Xhaka is a very promising but still unfinished player. Of course, that's just how Arsène likes it...! 

"He’s very skilled when it comes to handling the ball, defending it from opponents and creating something offensively with a first key pass. He’s what you call a box-to-box player with a very good body and a lot of strength. On that score I think he can adapt very quickly to the Premier League concerning physical toughness. 

Granit Xhaka at Mönchengladbach - Imago

"But he still makes sloppy mistakes which can cost his team. And he tends to freak out at times, with a temper that is sometimes pretty bad: he got sent off 5 times in 108 Bundesliga matches and amassed 29 yellow cards. He also got sent off in Europa League once. 

"Finally, he could be a better goal scorer – only nine goals in 140 games is a low figure for a guy who can shoot very strongly and from long range.”