Granit Xhaka: Hertha Berlin target Arsenal midfielder in January deal
Friday 20 December 2019 13:20, UK
Hertha Berlin want to sign Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka in the January transfer window, according to Sky Germany.
Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann - the former Tottenham striker- is searching for a holding midfielder and they are targeting the Switzerland international, whose future is uncertain after a run-in with the Arsenal fans.
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Sky Germany say the Bundesliga club, who are 13th in the table, are hoping to convince Xhaka and Arsenal to strike a deal with a "financially sensible package".
It is thought Xhaka would be open to a move to the Olympiastadion, after he was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy by former manager Unai Emery.
Xhaka was urged to apologise after swearing at supporters as he was substituted against Crystal Palace in November, having been booed off the pitch.
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He has since said he is "100 per cent" behind the Gunners, but Mikel Arteta is expected to be the next Arsenal head coach and it remains to be seen whether the 27-year-old is part of his plans or not.
Arteta closing on Arsenal return
Mikel Arteta is edging closer to becoming Arsenal's head coach with Manchester City's compensation demands continuing to be negotiated.
It is understood there is a broad agreement in place between the two clubs, with City looking to recoup £2m for their assistant manager.
Despite three weeks of speculation linking Arteta with a move to north London, no discussions took place between the two parties when City played at the Emirates last Sunday.
City are resigned to losing Arteta and will not stand in his way, but are expected to be less than flexible when it comes to both the amount of compensation and the payment schedules agreed with Arsenal.
Arteta's in-tray at Arsenal
Mikel Arteta is close to being appointed as Arsenal boss and Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol has identified five issues he must address quickly.
Sort out the defence
Speak to any Arsenal supporter and they will tell you the first thing any new manager needs to fix is the defence - the team have not kept a clean sheet for 14 games.
Long gone are the days when they could rely on Lee Dixon, Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Nigel Winterburn to keep clean sheets for fun.
Arteta must get his team defending as a unit again and he has to find an effective centre-back partnership.
Sokratis playing alongside Calum Chambers does not look like the answer and he needs to decide if he wants summer signing David Luiz back in the team. Arteta will also have to deal with the fact both first-choice full-backs - Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney - are out injured.
Arteta was a fine defensive midfielder himself so he will also know how important it is for players such as Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Granit Xhaka to offer the defence more protection. While he's at it, he needs to sort out Arsenal's vulnerability at transitions and get them to press as a team.
