Granit Xhaka was Arsene Wenger’s first signing of the summer, and the Switzerland international has already made his mark on the Premier League.
Granit was outstanding in the 3-1 win at Watford before the recent international break, but has started our last two games on the bench.
That’s no reflection of his ability, according to the manager.
“It’s not about his quality at the moment, he adapts to the pace of the English game and for me it’s about pairs as well who work together,” explained Wenger.
“You know, Coquelin and Cazorla have worked well together but [Xhaka] will play games and every week he is stronger and better. I think he will have a huge impact as a player.
“He can of course [impose himself], he has the stature, the power, he has the strength. What we want is for him to use that in a very efficient way.
“It’s [early], you know. He arrived, we are in September and we started in August, so it is one month. Many players, it took them some time to get into the team. He will do that without any problem.
“I personally prefer him as a box-to-box player,” added Wenger, “because he has the engine, the power and he has the long pass. He likes to come deep and distribute the game. I think as well he has the engine to have an impact with his runs.
“We have always had good midfield players and we wanted to add to this quality. He and Elneny are top-class players and there is big competition in the team at the moment. I’m sure both of them will get in the team.”
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