Arsenal have finally announced that they have secured the signing of midfielder Granit Xhaka. The tough-tackling Swiss will join the Gunners for a fee rumoured to be around £34m from German outfit Borussia Mönchengladbach.
It was suggested that a deal had been on the table for a while now and - after weeks of speculation over whether the move would happen - the transfer was completed today after Xhaka successfully passed a medical over the weekend.
Marquee signing
Xhaka's arrival signals the club's first addition of the summer and is a major statement of intent after Arsene Wenger failed to add an outfield player to his side at the start of last season.
It is a move that sends a signal from the Gunners, as they look to end their drought without winning a Premier League title. For someone that is relatively unproven, Arsene Wenger is looking to put his critics to rest ahead of next season.
The signing of the Swiss will further strengthen Arsenal's midfield options next season after the departures of Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini.
Despite the wealth of options, and the addition of Mohamed Elneny in January, Arsenal's turbulent season saw them become quite stretched in midfield; the addition of one of the brightest young players in that position is one marked with eager anticipation.
Experience on the head of young shoulders
The former Basel man made over 30 appearances last season for Gladbach, in a campaign where he was made the team's stand-in captain. For someone that's still relatively young at 23 years of age, he's a man that seems to have a wealth of experience already.
He also featured in his team's Champions League adventure this season, in a group that included Manchester City, Juventus and eventual Europa League winners, Sevilla.
Xhaka, meanwhile, has 40 caps for his national side Switzerland; a tally that he is likely to add to during Euro 2016, where he'll be aiming to impress ahead of his debut season in the Premier League.
How the deal happened
The departure of Xhaka from Mönchengladbach had been on the cards ever since he revealed his desire to play in England earlier in the year. However it had at first looked as though the German side would demand a higher transfer fee for their captain, originally around £10m more than what Arsenal have apparently paid for him.
Despite that a sum was finally agreed on as Xhaka's now former club looked to cash in for their star man, whose release clause of £22m would have kicked in come the summer of 2017.
For Arsenal fans, the signing of Xhaka is an exciting one, but if they are to sustain a real title challenge next season then more arrivals will be needed at the Emirates.