Granit Xhaka has said the Premier League’s lenient refereeing was one of the reasons behind his move to Arsenal.
The Swiss midfielder became the Gunners’ first summer signing when he arrived in a big money move from Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday.
And he has suggested the officiating in England may help him improve on a horrendous disciplinary record which saw him sent off three times in the 2015/16 campaign.
Clip via Arsenal
Across club and international football, Xhaka has six red cards and more than 40 bookings to his name in the last three seasons.
Five of those six sendings-off came in the Bundesliga (the sixth was in the 2014/15 Europa League), but he told Arsenal’s official site that the more lenient approach of Premier League referees could work in his favour.
“In Germany you can play aggressively but the referee will always blow his whistle, but in England that’s not the case. That’s better for me,” he said.
“I like the style of football [in the Premier League]. It’s aggressive and I like the way Arsenal play football.
“Yes, it’s a fight. I like that but Arsenal can also play football and that’s very good.”
