Arsene Wenger insists that Arsenal bad boy Granit Xhaka is a victim of his own reputation

 ARSENE WENGER claims refs are picking on midfielder Granit Xhaka.

Since Xhaka, 24, received his second red card of the domestic season against Burnley in January, he has been booked in all FIVE of his appearances.

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The bad-boy enforcer was  also sent off for Switzerland in September after joining the Gunners from    Borussia Monchengladbach for £38.25million last summer.

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But, ahead of Saturday’s early kick-off at The Hawthorns, boss Wenger claims his star has become an unfair target for the men in the middle.

Wenger said: “I believe he is now in a position where — on the first foul — he gets a yellow card.

“For example last Saturday, first foul, soft yellow card. He is a victim a little bit of his reputation. You see tackles by some players that are much worse than what he does.

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“But they  don’t even get a yellow  — and he has got straight reds.

“Because he had a history of it in Germany, he is  victim of that.”

But Wenger admits Xhaka brings  attention on himself — because he has never learned to tackle properly.

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Wenger added: “When he defends well — staying on his feet — he is a fair player.

 “It is the way he tackles. Not to hurt people, it is more a consequence of the fact that he has not mastered  the technique of tackling.

“He has improved a lot since he has arrived — but he still has to work on his one against one.”

With the saga of whether Wenger  will sign a new two-year deal at the  Emirates — and whether the fans want him to — still rumbling on, he looks world weary.

Asked what would constitute a  successful season, he said: “It’s not down to me to judge that.

“We want to play in the Champions League next season. We have a tough job, because there are six or seven teams fighting for the places.

"We are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. We have an opportunity in  that as well.

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“Success is to get the maximum from the potential of the team. What is that? We will see.

“Nothing is good enough anymore, so you try to do as well as you can.”

The immediate worry on Wenger’s mind, though, should be  his  head-to-head record with West Brom boss Tony Pulis.

In seven away trips to teams  managed by Pulis, the Frenchman has chalked up just one win  and lost four times, including his last trip  in  November 2015.

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Wenger said: “He has done well everywhere. He is very efficient and  makes life difficult for us.

 “This season, I believe they have moved to more possession and  less of a direct game.

“West Brom are still efficient on set-pieces but, overall, they can cope better everywhere with  possession.

“They keep the ball and have a more elaborate style, he has done extremely well."