Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin is confident that he and Granit Xhaka fighting for a starting role in midfield next season will be a positive for the Gunners.
Xhaka completed his £30m move to Arsenal just before the European Championships started in France last month.
Arsene Wenger has been wanting a powerful controller in midfield for several years now and in Xhaka they finally have it, though he won’t get the starting position in the side without a fight.
Coquelin – who has largely owned that role for the past 18 months – believes his battle for the position with the Swiss midfielder will be a positive thing for the whole team.
“There’s always going to be great players around the club and everyone needs to be ready for it. We’re going to have a good fight, and it’s going to be a positive fight for everyone and it’s going to bring the best out of every one of us,” Coquelin told the club’s official website.
“I saw him [Xhaka] in the Euros and he’s a good passer of the ball, he’s strong and good in the air so I think he’s going to add quality and strength to the squad and that’s a good thing.”
Coquelin won 57 tackles in the Premier League for Arsenal last season and made 76 interceptions. Those are decent figures, especially considering he only played in 26 games due to missing a large chunk of fixtures midway through the campaign due to injury.
Xhaka, who played just one game more than the Frenchman, won 56 tackles and made 73 interceptions in comparison, so judging by the figures Coquelin may have a chance of ousting the Swiss signing if he can keep up his decent performances.
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