Following a disappointing season of no silverware, the Arsenal board and its manager, Arsene Wenger appear ready to make a statement after Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder, Granit Xhaka was spotted at the club’s training ground in London on Saturday.

Here are 12 facts you need to know about this player said to be ‘an absolute top player, capable of playing for any top team in the world’ by his national head coach and two-time Champions League-winning coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.

1. Granit Xhaka was born on September 27, 1992 in Basel, Switzerland to Kosovo Albanian parents.

2. Xhaka is a central midfielder who plays a deep role but he can also play as an attacking midfielder in the number 10 position.

3. Xhaka started out at Swiss club, Concordia Basel and moved to Swiss Super League side- Basel’s youth team in 2002.

4. He played in the Basel’s youth squad for 8 years before making its senior team in 2008.

5. He made his senior team debut at Basel at the age of 17 years in a UEFA Champions League away match against Debreceni, where he scored the second goal in a 2-0 victory for the Swiss club.

6.  Xhaka led Switzerland to Under-17 World Cup glory in Nigeria in 2009, before the Euro Under-21 finals in 2011 where they finished runners-up.

7. Xhaka made his debut for Switzerland at 19, in a friendly against England at Wembley Stadium.

8. At Basel, the midfielder won the Swiss Super League twice, as well as the Swiss Cup once.

9. On 18 May 2012,  Xhaka agreed a five-year deal with German club- Borussia Mönchengladbach and was sold by Basel for a reported fee €8.5 million.

10. At such a young age of 23, he is currently the captain of Borussia Mönchengladbach.

11. He is not a frequent goalscorer as he has only netted just 12 times at club level and 6 times for the Swiss national team.

12. He has once been compared to German midfield virtuoso- Bastain Schweinsteiger.