"?Granit Xhaka's Swiss teammate Johan Djourou has praised the new Arsenal signing's talents, comparing the 23-year-old to former Italy star Andrea Pirlo.
Xhaka completed a move to the Gunners on Wednesday in a deal thought to be worth around £30m, and former Arsenal defender Djourou told the Mirror that English football would be 'perfect' for the Switzerland international.
5) Xhaka's passing ability compared to Pirlo's by an ex-Gunner who knows him very well #ARShttps://t.co/L6vjrHVPRz pic.twitter.com/YAhsyEcJtG
He said: "Granit is a great ball player. The guy has a magical left foot. He can ping the ball all over the place. He is a strong tackler - he is very hard going into tackles - and overall he is a very, very, very good player. He can see a pass. He can tackle, he can assist.
"I would say, if I am being honest, there is a little bit of a Pirlo about him, just in terms of the precision that he plays the ball with. Granit can play those types of ball. He can come and get the ball and ping it 40 yards onto your feet. He is that kind of player, but with more physicality to his game. It is hard to give a perfect description but I would say he has a bit of Pirlo about him."?
He added: "I think he will cope well because he has the physicality aspect to his game already. Sometimes when people come to the Premier League they are surprised at how physical it actually is. But he already has that. He is a player who gets a lot of yellow cards because in Germany it is maybe a bit too hard for his opponents. But English football will be perfect for him."?
GRAPHIC: Granit Xhaka https://t.co/1LBbokRZRe pic.twitter.com/HBykvZv3C9
His appraisal of Arsenal's chances to win a first Premier League title in over a decade was slightly less enthusiastic though, saying: "I'm not sure if Granit will be enough. Other teams will strengthen as well. Guardiola will go in for a lot of players. Manchester United as well.
"Chelsea too and Liverpool will buy. So the Premier League next year will be even harder to win. That's why Arsenal will have to match those clubs in terms of who they buy."
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How does Xhaka compare to Francis Coquelin and @ElNennyM? https://t.co/meTZZT4brf #SSNHQ pic.twitter.com/46FJ6hA6k0
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