Granit Xhaka Scout Report At AC Milan 2025/2026: Allegri’s New Regista – Player Analysis

AC Milan are said to be in advanced talks with Granit Xhaka of Bayer Leverkusen.

The 32-year-old midfielder looks likely to play in Serie A for the first time, knowing that AS Roma showed interest in 2021, but Arsenal rejected the offer.

Xhaka is an experienced midfielder who has already had a very rich and adventurous football career.

He started his senior career at FC Basel from 2010 to 2012 and then moved to Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he stayed until 2016.

Afterwards, Xhaka became more famous to football fans around the world following his move to the Premier League with the Gunners.

He spent seven seasons there and was given the captaincy armband at the start of the 2019/2020 season.

In 2023, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen for a five-year contract with a fee of €25m.

It is also important to note that Xhaka is one of the most fundamental players within the Swiss national team, serving as captain on many occasions and being one of the most experienced leaders in the team.

His international experience is valuable in terms of experience and maturity.

It is true that Xhaka’s performances have gone through ups and downs, especially during his spell with Arsenal, but that does not mean that he lacks consistency in terms of performance.

It rather confirms the fact that he usually needs clear instructions and a safe environment.

I Rossoneri can more likely guarantee clear instructions, discipline on and off the pitch, and an encouraging environment, especially under the management of someone like Massimiliano Allegri.

This should help Xhaka perform more consistently.

This tactical analysis and scout report will, therefore, examine Xhaka’s current traits and abilities in midfield in terms of playmaking, dribbling, and shooting.

The analysis will also explore how Xhaka fits in the current Milan and where exactly he can play, in addition to his possible roles within Allegri’s tactics.

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Granit Xhaka Possible Position & Roles At AC Milan

Before delving into the study of Xhaka’s possible positions and roles, it is fundamental to highlight the fact that Xhaka is an exceptional player who has already won the Swiss Youth Footballer of the Year in 2012, the Swiss Footballer of the Year in 2017, 2022, and 2023, the Swiss Super League twice, the Swiss Cup, the FA Cup twice, the FA Community Shield twice, the Bundesliga, and the DFB-Pokal.

Furthermore, Xhaka was crucial in Xabi Alonso’s Bundesliga and UEFA Europa League journey during the 2023/2024 season when Bayer Leverkusen pulled off the surprise of the season, winning the league title and reaching the final of the Europa League.

Xhaka is still as useful as ever before.

Allegri would likely use him as a defensive midfielder, since the coach believes a lot in having a “regista”, and considers it obligatory to play with a defensive midfielder and two central midfielders.

Moreover, he prefers to have a physically powerful yet very technical midfielder in this position; Xhaka perfectly suits these needs.

Furthermore, playing with the left foot would also add to the unpredictability of Xhaka’s key passes and feints in front of the defence, as Serie A teams do not know him well already and will more likely fall in the trap of underestimating his value in midfield.

That said, it will be for Xhaka himself to confirm his value and his potential input within the team, knowing that he has the qualities needed to adapt to the Serie A environment.

Granit Xhaka Heat Map

The following heat map confirms that Xhaka is used to playing as a defensive midfielder and as a central midfielder, with movements inside the opponent’s half.

If Allegri plays him as a defensive midfielder, Xhaka’s required positioning will more likely change to cover the area in front of Milan’s defence instead of advancing to the opponent’s half.

Knowing how to quickly learn about Milan’s style of play and the opponents, in addition to applying what is needed to be ready to win duels and make the needed difference, will be crucial for him to succeed with Milan.

Suppose he is used as a defensive midfielder.

In that case, Xhaka’s role will be receiving the ball under pressure and dealing with it, whether through first-time touches to the flanks (which he already masters) or with body feints and ball protection (and Xhaka is also powerful enough and experienced in this regard).

Therefore, Xhaka will be extremely important in keeping possession of the ball during the build-up phase and starting the attacking transitions with key passes to the wings or vertical passes to attacking players.

Xhaka’s roles will also include vertical key passes, breaking defensive lines, and long passes towards the spaces left on the wings or at the back of the defensive line.

Allegri will most likely give some instructions in this regard but will also let Xhaka use his creativity to choose the correct timing and destination of his key passes.

Another key role that Allegri needs to push Xhaka to apply at Milan is his shooting on target.

Xhaka is considered among the most dangerous midfielders in the world when shooting from distance, given that he has scored numerous goals thanks to shots from outside the box.

Given that he currently attempts an average of 1.03 shots per match, Allegri could encourage Xhaka to keep exploring this useful goalscoring weapon.

Granit Xhaka Playmaking & Assist-Making

Xhaka is one of the best actual passers in Europe, with a passing accuracy of 90.1% and a passing to the final third of 83% on average.

These averages highlight Xhaka’s ability to consistently provide accurate key passes to the final third and be very important in the attacking transitions.

His vision and usually excellent decision-making in terms of passing makes him one of the best in his position at the moment.

Granit Xhaka Through Pass Assist

The following assist further confirms Xhaka’s ability to time his passes extremely well and be crucial with his vertical key passes.

During this action, his through pass went through the whole defence and reached its receiver at the back of the defensive line, making a beautiful assist.

The same applies to Xhaka’s long passes, which are a very useful tool for him to create the needed danger in terms of playmaking.

He usually provides assists and breaks lines of defence using long passes as well, and the key to his success in such actions is his high passing accuracy, excellent vision, and ability to perfectly time his long passes, avoiding the offside and meeting the receiver in the perfect spot to allow him to finish without problems.

Granit Xhaka Long Passing Assist

This long passing assist confirms Xhaka’s ability to break defensive lines with a single touch and proves that he is very attentive to timing his passes well.

He is able to do so successfully on most occasions because he is a player who always scans the pitch and is aware of his teammates’ and opponents’ off-the-ball movement.

Working with Xhaka on intensifying his long passes and crosses will also be rewarding for Milan.

The Swiss midfielder has the creativity and passing mastery needed to execute his crosses with impeccable accuracy, even when the players are not yet positioned where they should be.

In other words, Xhaka often predicts the movements of the potential receiver and provides the long pass towards that destination, with the obligation for that potential receiver to reach the ball.

Granit Xhaka Crossing Assist

This might seem complicated, but it is actually more efficient for the attack itself since Xhaka usually evaluates the situation inside the final third and provides the long pass towards the most suitable spot for the potential receiver to make the finishing easier for him.

The following cross, for instance, obliges the receiver to run towards the indicated spot, knowing that passing to that area helps the receiver finish the action while being unmarked as opposed to receiving it while being in his initial spot when the cross was about to be executed.

Granit Xhaka Shooting From Distance

Xhaka is one of the best players in the world at shooting from distance.

He uses power and extreme accuracy to ensure his shots hit the net.

He uses various shooting techniques depending on the situation he is put in and usually executes most of these shooting techniques successfully, which makes him one of the best in this regard.

The only aspect to improve regarding this topic is the attempts made per game.

It will be useful to instruct him to attempt more shots from distance, as that could increase Milan’s goalscoring possibilities and solutions.

Granit Xhaka First-Time Shooting From Distance

This goal example highlights Xhaka’s first-time shooting technique as it shows that he was able to shoot with power and accuracy despite dealing with a moving ball and without controlling it.

This also highlights Xhaka’s experience, confidence in his shooting abilities, and mastery of the shooting technique.

In addition, Xhaka masters the curved shots technique and, thanks to that technique, is capable of scoring plenty of goals, adding more power to surprise goalkeepers.

Granit Xhaka Curved Shots

Xhaka makes the curved shots look very easy to the eye despite the complexity of orienting it to the exact needed angle.

This shooting technique will be needed at Milan, as the team does not have many players who are experts in executing this type of shot.

Moreover, Xhaka’s shooting skills would also be very useful in set-pieces, as he has the techniques needed to score direct free-kicks.

Xhaka has been a master of long-range shots for many years, but what is even more satisfying for Milan and Serie A fans is that he became even more dangerous in this regard during the last few seasons at Bayer Leverkusen, scoring numerous shots from distance and consistently scoring this type of goal.

Granit Shaka Outstanding Curved Shot From Long Range

One of his best goals for Bayer Leverkusen is the following mix of a shot from distance in a curved trajectory, combining both power and curve to leave everyone speechless during this action, including the goalkeeper, who did not know how to deal with or react to this shot.

Conclusion

Xhaka’s expertise in midfield will be valuable for a team like Milan, who lack quality midfielders and need someone to pull the strings in front of the defensive line.

His ability to play under pressure, provide accurate passes to escape the opposing press, and make key short and long passes that often create danger in the final third will most likely make the difference for I Rossoneri in the coming season.

More importantly, using his shooting skills will be essential for Milan to get the most out of Xhaka and benefit from his goalscoring abilities, especially on key occasions.