Scout Report - Granit Xhaka

Following Belgium’s emergence on the international stage, the new ‘hipster’ team that is all the rage is Switzerland. Like their Belgian counterparts, they qualified for the World Cup with a game to spare but their talented squad has gone under the radar. Not only do they possess the talented Xherdan Shaqiri, who plies his trade with Bayern Munich, but they also have Borussia Monchengladbach’s central midfielder Granit Xhaka.

According to the Express, Everton are challenging Inter Milan for Xhaka’s signature after he impressed during Switzerland’s 2-1 victory over Albania on Friday night. Both he and Shaqiri are graduates of Basel’s academy which has served them well over the last few years. The core of the Swiss under-21 side that finished 2nd at the 2011 European Championship were from the academy and many of them have made the step up into the senior side since, most notably Xhaka.

Despite an indifferent first year in the Bundesliga, Xhaka has still managed to remain on the radar of many big clubs. Last season, he created just 14 chances for his Gladbach team-mates and had a shooting accuracy of a measly 22%.

Xhaka’s shot accuracy last season

However, he proved that he is a solid all-round midfielder as he won 56% of his total duels. This included an 84% tackle, a 50% take-on and a 54% headed duel success rate. His passing accuracy of 81% further boosts his profile as an all-action player. This is mightily impressive for a 21-year-old.

How Xhaka fared in duels last season

In the opening seven games of this season, Xhaka has looked a much better player, proving that his form was probably hampered by the lay-off he had in the middle of last season. He has created 10 chances already, just four less than in the whole of the last campaign and his passing accuracy is up to 88%.

Xhaka’s passing accuracy has improved so far this season

Xhaka is definitely capable and has plenty of potential as he is still young but he really does need to add an end product in his game if he is to make a success of any move away from Gladbach. He has shown at the beginning of this season that he can be creative on a regular basis and if it continues, he will have everything he needs to become a fantastic midfielder. The work he does to win the ball back is already commendable but the creative of his game will have to be worked upon if he is to fit into Roberto Martinez’s Everton team.