Toggle menu Granit Xhaka PLAYER PROFILE Name Granit Xhaka Squad Number 29 Born Basel, Switzerland - September 27, 1992 Previous Clubs FC Basel, Borussia Monchengladbach National Caps 53 Central midfielder Granit featured regularly during his first season at the club, becoming a mainstay of the side by the end of the campaign. Shop all Xhaka items at ArsenalDirect VIDEO: Watch Granit's first interview Xhaka - Family atmosphere so important Quiz: How much do you know about Xhaka? Pictures: Xhaka in Arsenal colours Xhaka scored his first goal in style during the 4-1 win at Hull City, thumping the ball into the back of the net from distance. He followed that up three days later with an almost identical strike in our 4-0 win away at Nottingham Forest in the third round of the League Cup. Two further goals followed later in the campaign for Granit, with another strike from distance against Manchester United as well as grabbing our first goal in the fightback that saw us eventually win 3-2 at Ludogorets. The Swiss international has already built a reputation for being a robust and combative midfielder with good vision and an impressive passing range. After enduring a tough start to life in English football - and a debut season which saw two red cards and 12 yellows - by the end of the campaign Granit had stamped his authority on the midfield. In the tailend of the season Arsenal won 10 of their last 12 matches - including the Emirates FA Cup final - with Xhaka starting every game. His blossoming partnership with Aaron Ramsey in a new-look 3-4-2-1 formation bodes well for the 2017/18 campaign. Emirates Logo Puma Logo CooperTires Logo Gatorade Logo Vitality PL FOOTER MENU Terms of use Privacy Policy Cookie policy Website accessibility statement Inviqa Phase2 Ostmodern