“He’s like a Wijnaldum” – Noel Whelan urges Arsenal to replace midfielder with 25-year-old who can ‘add that extra level’

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has urged Arsenal to replace Granit Xhaka with Leicester City playmaker Youri Tielemans. Whelan also compared the latter to former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

The Gunners have been linked with Tielemans for some time now, with the Mirror reporting that they are in contact with the player himself. Leicester are also said to have accepted the fact that the 25-year-old will depart the King Power Stadium in the ongoing transfer window. Tielemans' current deal with the Foxes expires in the summer of 2023.

Another report in the Mirror suggested that Xhaka has attracted interest from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen. The Swiss international currently has two years left on his deal at the Emirates.

Asked if Tielemans would be an upgrade on Xhaka, Whelan responded in the affirmative. He told Football Insider:

“I do. I’m a big fan of Tielemans. He’s a fantastic player – he’s like a Wijnaldum in that midfield, he does everything. He’s very competitive, great on the ball, good eye for a pass, set pieces. He can score goals as well.”

The former Leeds forward added that Xhaka has struggled with some of those attributes. Whelan also believes Tielemans would complement Thomas Partey better in Arsenal's midfield:

“That’s an area where Xhaka has failed during his time at Arsenal. Partey is more of a sitting midfield player, and Tielemans could come in and get forward and cause problems. We know the quality he has. He would add that extra level above what Xhaka has offered over the years.”

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How have Arsenal's Granit Xhaka and Leicester's Youri Tielemans fared for their clubs?

Xhaka notably joined Arsenal in the summer of 2016, almost three years before Tielemans arrived at Leicester on loan from AS Monaco in January 2019. The Belgian eventually signed a permanent deal with the Foxes that very summer.

Overall, Xhaka has played 250 times for the Gunners, netting 14 goals and laying out 22 assists. While he has scored the occasional blinder, his goals have been less frequent than Tielemans' have been for Leicester. The latter has scored 24 goals and recorded 24 assists in just 158 matches for the Foxes.

Xhaka has picked up two FA Cups and two FA Community Shields during his time with Arsenal. Tielemans, on the other hand, has won both trophies once.