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LONDON — Arsene Wenger has stressed that Arsenal are now “solid” in midfield after securing the services of Granit Xhaka ahead of the 2016/17 English Premiership soccer campaign.

Mathieu Flamini, Tomas Rosicky and Mikel Arteta all left the Gunners this summer, raising doubts over the squad’s depth in midfield but the French manager remains confident over numbers.

The addition of Xhaka, as well as both Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla returning from injuries, appear to have convinced Wenger that no further midfield reinforcements are necessary.

“Xhaka brings his passing ability to play through the lines from deep positions, his work rate, and he’s good in the air,” Wenger told Arsenal.com.

“He’s a young boy as well, 23 years old. There’s a lot to come from him. We lost three midfielders: Flamini, Rosicky and Arteta, and numbers-wise we are quite solid in midfield now.

“Elneny had a big impact when he came here, Coquelin was injured for a long time and is back. Cazorla will come back, Wilshere is back… so we are solid in midfield.”

It’s understood Arsenal are now focusing their attention on attacking targets, with the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Alexandre Lacazette and Mauro Icardi being linked with the north London club in recent weeks.But Arsenal will only spend money when they deem it necessary as chief executive Ivan Gazidis believes the club already have a squad good enough to win the English Premier League title.

The Gunners finished a distant second to champions Leicester City last season, despite sitting top of the table at the turn of the year.

Wenger has failed to deliver the title to the club since the memorable unbeaten 2003/04 campaign with their rivals consistently outspending them since, but Gazidis has warned Arsenal fans not to expect an influx of expensive recruits this summer.

“This approach, for us, gives us a very, very powerful balance because it’s not just about spending money but about how you spend your money and doing it wisely,” Gazidis told ESPN.

“It’s about having a strong core philosophy and values within the club that players buy into and our fans can be proud of.

“These are all things that lead to success, and when you look at Arsenal over the last four or five years, there’s no question that the squad has been progressing in strength.

“We’ve got a squad now that we believe is capable of competing to win the Premier League. We came in second last year, which was disappointing. But we’re on the right track.”

Arsenal now have the financial muscle to compete for the biggest names following years of being beaten to the punch as they continued to pay off their move to the Emirates Stadium.

However, Gazidis insists they will continue with their policy of believing in their young talent and do not operate to a model that would see them match the money being spent by rivals with wealthy backers.

“We’re making progress in what is a fiercely competitive world, against competitors that have the capability to spend far more money than we do,” he said.

“We’re doing it by being very, very disciplined; spending money where we believe it makes a difference, but also giving young players a chance and believing in ourselves and our values.”

Granit Xhaka has been the most notable arrival at the Emirates this summer, with Arsenal also signing young Japan striker Takuma Asano and having a bid accepted for Bolton’s Rob Holding. — Metro.