$16.5 Million Signing Could Be A Steal For Leverkusen

It was a disappointing end to Bayer Leverkusen’s Europe League campaign. Die Werkself failed to score against Roma on Thursday night and, after losing the first leg 1-0, went out despite a dominant performance. But despite the Europa League exit, the future under head coach Xabi Alonso seems bright, and in Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, Leverkusen is also on the verge of securing a player to could define a new era.

Although not announced yet, Xhaka is expected to join the club in the summer transfer window. According to a report by Fabrizio Romano, Xhaka will join Leverkusen in a deal worth €15 million ($16.5 million) and sign a contract until 2027. Transfermarkt and Gegenpressing writer Stefan Bienkowski has also confirmed the deal, writing in a tweet that Xhaka will join Leverkusen.

For Xhaka, this would mean a return to a league where he first established himself as an international star. From 2012 to 2016, the Swiss international spent four years with Borussia Mönchengladbach before he was sold for €45 million ($49.5 million) to Arsenal. At Gladbach, Xhaka scored nine goals and eight assists in 140 games and was the cornerstone of a resurgent young Foals side.

Once at Arsenal, Xhaka had both ups and downs. Although he would consistently play 30 games or more in the Premier
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League for Arsenal every season and wear the captain’s armband, unnecessary yellow and red cards meant that Xhaka was never free of controversy.

In 2019 he was stripped of the captain’s armband under Unai Emery after an emotional outburst towards Arsenal fans. Although he has since been offered the captaincy, Xhaka never would the armband again and focus on his game instead.

In fact, since Mikel Arteta has taken over, Xhaka has been mostly focused on his football, and, indeed, this season was his best in the Premier League. The 30-year-old has scored five goals and seven assists in 35 Premier League games and led an unlikely title challenge for much of the campaign.

Although Manchester City appears to once again stroll to a Premier League title, Arsenal and Xhaka’s stock appears to be on the rise. In light of this, it seems almost surprising that Xhaka is now on his way out of the club back to the Bundesliga to join Leverkusen.

The truth is, transfer rumors have surrounded Xhaka for years, and with his contract expiring next year, this was the last opportunity for Arsenal to receive a transfer fee. Xhaka, in the meantime, was ready for a new challenge.

And then there is the Xabi Alonso factor. It is not surprising that after already signing Alejandro Grimaldo from Benfica, Leverkusen is now set to announce another big-name signing for Bundesliga standards.

Widely regarded as one of the most talented managers in the game, Alonso has a pull on players that is not unlike that of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. Players want to work with the 41-year-old former Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich star, which, in turn, benefits Leverkusen as the club is able to sign players usually not available to a team that is going to miss out on the Champions League.

In fact, Xhaka might be that missing piece to turn Leverkusen into a title challenge in the Bundesliga. The Swiss midfielder will bring much-needed steel to a highly gifted team and can act as an extension to Alonso onto the pitch. Xhaka could also guide players like young star Florian Wirtz. With all that in mind, this is a clever transfer, and at just $16.5 million could turn out to be an absolute steal on the transfer market.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcastand the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth