<
>

Granit Xhaka needs to be patient at Arsenal - brother Taulant

Granit Xhaka needs to be patient as he settles in at Arsenal but will develop into a better player under Arsene Wenger, his brother Taulant has said.

The Xhaka brothers will go head-to-head for a second time in a few months on Wednesday when Arsenal take on Taulant's Basel in the Champions League at the Emirates, having also faced each other when Switzerland played Albania at Euro 2016 in June.

"He needs to be patient but he knows this and I am sure he can progress there," Taulant told the Daily Telegraph. "Arsene Wenger is a coach who takes a lot of young players -- he gives them confidence and also tries to help them as people.

"It was the same when he moved to Germany, he needed time but he learnt a lot. He changed, became more self-confident, more open to people. It was a good step to join Arsenal. Granit is very comfortable, very integrated. He is very happy there and he has already scored some super goals."

Granit was brought in from Borussia Monchengladbach this summer in a £30 million deal, but has seen Wenger largely stick with a central midfield pairing of Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla so far.

However, he is likely to start on Wednesday after Coquelin suffered a potentially long-term knee injury in the 3-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday.

And his brother said Granit shouldn't be in a hurry to make his mark.

Granit has netted twice for the Gunners so far, both thunderous long-range strikes that instantly endeared him to fans. The midfielder celebrates his 24th birthday on Tuesday, but will have to wait until after Wednesday's game before speaking to his brother.

"We speak every day, but before a game sometimes not because we have to focus," Taulant said. "We won't tell each other how the teams play -- we are professional. I hope that after the game we can meet quickly. I need to ask the coach, so hopefully we win and he's in a good mood."