3 ways Arsenal's midfield could line up with Xhaka's arrival

There will be plenty of teams in need of talented central midfielders when the summer transfer season rolls around. Yet few would include Arsenal as a club short on creative players up the middle.

Perhaps that's why the team's move to bring Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka over in a transfer reportedly worth £30 million might lead some to question the north London side's motives.

Related: Arsenal completes signing of Xhaka; initial fee reportedly £25 million​

However, the opportunity to add a budding star such as Xhaka, combined with the team's miserable injury history over the better part of a decade, presented a scenario where the Arsenal representatives would have been mad to pass on the 23-year-old.

The only issue remaining up the centre of the pitch will be where to deploy the plethora of talented midfielders at manager Arsene Wenger's disposal.

Here's a look at three possible formations with Xhaka in the fold:

Primary formation: 4-2-3-1 - Cazorla, Xhaka; Sanchez, Ozil, Wilshere

Assuming Arsenal enters the 2016-17 with its current collection of midfielders, Wenger will opt to play Xhaka in a deep-lying role where he'll be given opportunities to burst up the middle to assist in the final third.

It's a familiar role for him after gaining experience in a defensive role with Gladbach during the team's 2014-15 season, where he played an instrumental role in helping former manager Lucien Favre's team qualify for the Champions League.

Meanwhile, this formation could also see Jack Wilshere float into the middle of the park to use his preferred left foot and provide Arsenal with yet another talented option capable of terrorizing defenses, while speedster Hector Bellerin surges up from the back to provide width down the flank.

Defensive formation: 4-1-4-1 - Coquelin; Sanchez, Ozil, Xhaka, Ramsey

Removing Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil is not an option Wenger, or any Arsenal fan for that matter, would consider.

But adjustments with regards to their placement in a defense-minded formation allows for some creativity. With Ozil tasked with pulling the strings in the heart of the midfield, Sanchez will be asked to drop back from his usual attacking approach in favour of a playmaking role with an eye on being a pest during the opposition's attempts to surge into the Arsenal end.

As the team's highest earners patrol the left side of the pitch, Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey provide an equally unsavoury route opponents will struggle to navigate through before coming face-to-face with the physical obstacle that is Francis Coquelin.

Attacking formation: 4-3-3 - Xhaka, Ozil, Ramsey; Sanchez, Giroud, Walcott

When all else fails, throw the kitchen sink!

Here's the formation Arsenal fans will hope to avoid since it likely means the team is trailing. But worry not, Gooners, as the club will be in capable hands in the face of adversity.

During desperate situations where Arsenal would love nothing more than to obliterate the back of the net, Wenger has the option of unloading his talented group in a formation designed to torment defences.

Whether it's Sanchez and Theo Walcott blazing a path up either flank, or the interchangeable midfield duo of Ramsey and Mohamed Elneny, the club is set up well to work its way back from just about any deficit. Not to mention, this formation could see Xhaka (or Cazorla) come off the bench to provide an even greater threat.