Time for Wenger to cut losses on £38m deal?

Granit Xhaka was last summer’s marquee signing. The club’s second most expensive signing of all time at just £38 million, the Swiss international arrived at the Emirates with a big reputation following a few excellent years in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach.

Xhaka promised to be the no-nonsense defensive midfielder the club had craved for so many years, however, that could not be further from the truth.

While the 24-year-old on occasion has shown his talent, with a couple of thumping goals and a few good challenges here and there, overall he has, unfortunately, flattered to deceive.

Many will cite his poor disciplinary record as a reason for his lack of success. Two reds and 12 yellows is after all an appalling record and demonstrates Xhaka’s obvious inability to win the ball fairly and cleanly, however it is not only that that has been his problem, albeit it has been a fairly big one.

In terms of percentage of ‘duels won’ on the pitch, Xhaka ranks 100th in the Premier League. For shot accuracy he ranks 87th. Surprisingly, when it comes to passing, his accuracy ranks second in the league, however that not not be as surprising when you consider the average length of his passes is just over 15m and most of them are backwards or sideways. Two assists all season tell you all you need to know about the nature of his distribution.

Xhaka’s work ethic cannot be doubted generally. The third hardest runner in the squad, the Switzerland international ran a total of 315.8 km last season. Only Nacho Montreal and Mesut Ozil (yes, you heard me right) ran more.

However, what good is running all over the place like an over-excited labrador puppy when, quite frankly, you are failing to do the job properly. Xhaka has been a poor addition for Arsenal, and I for one wouldn’t be sad to see him leave the club this summer.