He joined Arsenal for over £30 million this past summer.
Didi Hamann has written on PaddyPower.com that he believes the “top-class” acquisition of Granit Xhaka can help Arsenal win the Premier League title this season.
Arsenal host Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates this afternoon as the Gunners go in search of an eighth win in nine league games – the other was a 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough.
Victory over Spurs would see Arsene Wenger’s side move one point clear of Chelsea at the summit of the division, at least until Liverpool – who have the same amount of points – host Watford at Anfield later in the day.
Xhaka, a £33 million signing from Borussia Monchengladbach, has been competing with Francis Coquelin for that defensive midfield role, though the early signs suggest that he could prove to be an excellent acquisition.
The North Londoners have not won the league since way back in 2004 and few would be surprised to see Wenger and co fluff their lines again this time around, despite the major signs of optimism so far.
This is because history has a strange way of repeating itself on the red part of North London, but former Liverpool midfielder Hamann believes that the current crop of Arsenal stars have a lot more about them than their predecessors.
He wrote on PaddyPower.com: “For the first time since Alex Song left for Barcelona they finally have a holding midfielder in Granit Xhaka. Arsenal’s Achilles heel has been that defensive fragility, and despite trying Mikel Arteta and Francis Coquelin as a holding midfielder they never replaced Song. Xhaka is a top-class player, and one of the best in the business in that role.
“This is a different Arsenal. There’s a lot more belief in the team and they have options. If you compare them to teams of the past, they look like winners and they can absolutely go and win the title this year.”
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