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Arsenal have announced the signing of Borussia Monchengladbach defensive midfielder and Swiss international Granit Xhaka, on the traditional undefined fee and long-term contract. The signing (hopefully) solves a long-standing hole in the Arsenal team, as Xhaka is a midfielder capable both of competent defensive positioning and tackling as well as actually passing the ball; this is an issue dating at least to the decline of Mikel Arteta, and it's been a critical one.
Granit Xhaka has been rumored as an Arsenal target for months, and strongly connected to the club since at least March (and, if you believe certain reports, as early as January). After David Ornstein reported the deal was close, we were pretty sure it would happen. After photos of Xhaka in an Arsenal kit leaked, we were...more pretty sure. And now it has, so...yay!
Arsenal announced Xhaka in hilarious fashion - first, retweeting two or three people who were yelling "SIGN XHAKA," and then tweeted:
OK, let’s announce Xhaka… https://t.co/u8siwTRzUY #GunnerGranithttps://t.co/AqskUiGrX4
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) May 25, 2016
Here’s your second look at our first summer signing - he looks better in high-res : https://t.co/yBdlDlW603 #GunnerGranit
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) May 25, 2016
How it feels when @Arsenal 'ANNOUNCE XHAKA'... #GunnerGranit pic.twitter.com/gwHB2sekhf
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) May 25, 2016
There's more work to be done this summer, but to get such a monumental hole in the squad filled before Memorial Day is very good work by Arsenal and Arsène Wenger. So let's party.