Quote Originally Posted by Ash View Post
It was too much of a risk for Arsenal, who thought he was too expensive, according to Clive from the AV podcast, who seems to know football in and around the Milton Keynes area quite well.

And Grant Shackleton wasn't £40m, was he? Bit harsh to add five to ten million onto a player's fee just to qunt him off. Are you Tony Cascarino?
Well.. To you and everyone else that interpreted this as a slight on Xhaka, it wasn't.. My comment was simply that it was a far greater risk to spend 40m on a player, with no major track record in playing in one of the most competitive leagues in Europe, as opposed to taking a punt of £5m on a player from the lower divisions.
For the record. I like Xhaka. I like his spirit, a tad reckless perhaps but certainly a player that adds steel to the midfield. A good eye for goal and as SC pointed out, a very good passer of a ball.