| July 19th 2016 | Next > |
Coquelin: New £33.8m signing will add quality to the squad
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger bought Swiss international striker Granit Xhaka form Borussia Monchengladbach before Euro 2016 he has already proved his class to the world, after he was crowned the man of the match twice in the tournament.
The 23-year-old ace is expected to train with his team mates ahead of the the new season where they are scheduled to play Liverpool in the opening match of the season on the 14th of August.
The arrival of the Swiss international has alerted midfielders; Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Mohamed Elneny, Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin that they will have to fight to be a regular starter in the French manager’s team.
Xhaka, 23, operates in a central midfield role and, given that Xhaka cost around £33.8m, he would be expected to feature prominently next term but Coquelin who helped the Gunners to finish second in the Premier League table last term is determined not to shy away for the competition in midfield next season.
“It’s Arsenal Football Club, we know we’re going to sign quality players,” Coquelin is quoted as saying in the Express. “I saw him in the Euros and he’s a good passer of the ball, he’s strong and good in the air so I think he’s going to add quality and strength to the squad and that’s a good thing.”
Despite the North London club’s second place last season in the Premier League, Coquelin feels we need to improve by reinforcing the squad ahead of next season.
He added: “It was a really tight season last season and it was a strange one. I think it was unexpected that Leicester would win it but they did terrifically. We’ve gone through everything we did last season, we had a strong season, but it’s going to be about details [this time]. The games all the people expect us to win, we have to win them and respond as well in the big games. I think that’s what we’ve done in the last couple of years so we have to carry on doing this.” He added according to report from Express.
Personally, I think Xhaka can just take over from Coquelin immediately, but we’ll have to wait and see how he adapts to the Premier League once the season kicks off.
Published: 19th July 2016
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