It is being reported that, even though Arsenal are ready to fork out the hefty transfer fee demanded by this transfer target’s club, and that the player himself and representatives from Borussia Monchengladbach are making the right noises about accepting the offer of a move to the Premier League, the deal to make Granit Xhaka a Gunner is not going to happen until the summer.
I don’t get it. Have we not been hearing about how the midfield injury crisis has been hurting Arsenal and our chances of winning major trophy honours this season? And are we not still waiting for key midfield stars Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla to come back?
With the Daily Star reporting that Arsene Wenger is willing to splash out the £37 million needed to get this talented young star, the sporting director of Xhaka’s current club has all but admitted that they would sell, as they are not on the same financial level as the biggest clubs in the German Bundesliga.
Max Eberl said, “We have lost players like Reus and ter Stegen, Kruse and Kramer.
“In the summer perhaps Granit Xhaka will go.
“We need a good mix between buying and selling to take the next step.
“After four successful years, we are not yet on a par with Bayern, Dortmund, Leverkusen, Schalke and Wolfsburg.”
Surely if they are willing to sell in the summer we can persuade them to sell now. Our need is great while they could use that money to bring in a few good players to strengthen their own campaign. And with Xhaka already talking about Francis Coquelin’s 34 being the shirt number he would like at Arsenal, whether it was in jest or not, you get the idea that he would jump at the chance to join Arsenal.
So what are we waiting for?