NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - MAY 07: Granit Xhaka of Arsenal is challenged by Joe Willock of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC at St. James Park on May 07, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
3 reasons why Arsenal should not sell Granit Xhaka
by Adam Keys
Granit Xhaka is currently having the season of his life with five goals and seven assists this season. However, The Mirror and the Independent have reported that he could be subject to a £20m move to Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
The move will no doubt create divisions within the Arsenal fanbase, as Xhaka has always been a Marmite character, but this season’s reinvention has seen him build a closer relationship with the fans than ever before.
Selling him at this point feels like a strange decision from Arsenal and Mikel Arteta given the journey Xhaka has been on, and the way he has adapted to the eight position in the manager’s 4-3-3. Overall, it could be a decision the club will come to regret. Here are three reasons why.
3 reasons why Arsenal should not sell Granit Xhaka
🗞️| “Granit Xhaka could be on the move this summer. It is understood the club would be willing to let the Switzerland captain, whose deal also expires in 2024, move on if they receive an offer they deem acceptable.” [@Independent] #afc pic.twitter.com/oft7uD154O
— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) May 9, 2023
1. Warrior mentality
During his seven years at Arsenal, Xhaka has had plenty of faults, from his disciplinary record to his tendency to make mistakes leading to goals when playing as a six, but his commitment on the pitch could never be called into question.
Throughout those seven years, he has been one of the standout leaders in the dressing room, and a player held in high regard by his coaches and teammates due to his tireless displays on the pitch and dedication in training.
That attitude has rubbed off on a lot of the current crop of players, and even with an increased number of leaders in the squad, Xhaka is still one of the most respected, which is why he was named vice-captain in the summer.
Taking a personality like his out of the Arsenal squad at this time could be dangerous given the increased demands of Champions League football and the pressure that will be on young shoulders next season.
Continued on the next slide…
@Independent] <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/afc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#afc</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://t.co/oft7uD154O">pic.twitter.com/oft7uD154O
<p>— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://twitter.com/ArsenalBuzzCom/status/1655951095901073410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<h2>1. Warrior mentality</h2>
<p>During his seven years at Arsenal, Xhaka has had plenty of faults, from his disciplinary record to his tendency to make mistakes leading to goals when playing as a six, but his commitment on the pitch could never be called into question.</p>
<p>Throughout those seven years, he has been one of the standout leaders in the dressing room, and a player held in high regard by his coaches and teammates due to his tireless displays on the pitch and dedication in training.</p>
<p>That attitude has rubbed off on a lot of the current crop of players, and even with an increased number of leaders in the squad, Xhaka is still one of the most respected, which is why he was named vice-captain in the summer.</p>
<p>Taking a personality like his out of the Arsenal squad at this time could be dangerous given the increased demands of Champions League football and the pressure that will be on young shoulders next season.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 Squad building </a>
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<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-134165" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1852,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1485035403-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1852" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1485035403-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1485035403-768x556.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1485035403-1536x1111.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1485035403-2048x1482.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Arsenal are hoping to secure the signing of Declan Rice this summer. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2><strong>2. Squad building</strong></h2>
<p>Arsenal are now competing with Manchester City for the title, not for a spot in the top four, and the expectations have changed, which is why <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/04/arsenal-interest-mason-mount-smith-rowe/">Declan Rice</a> is a firm favourite to arrive.</p>
<p>If they are to compete with a machine like City, they need quality players in depth that Arteta has 100% faith in, and one player he has huge trust in is Xhaka.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🚨 Bayer Leverkusen are desperate to sign Granit Xhaka this summer, with the player facing a dilemma whether to return to German football or to stay at Arsenal, who are likely to make two significant midfield signings this summer. [<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://twitter.com/johncrossmirror?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@johncrossmirror] <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/afc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#afc</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://t.co/GR5DtAmVb4">https://t.co/GR5DtAmVb4
<p>— afcstuff (@afcstuff) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://twitter.com/afcstuff/status/1655735054394437632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>The Switzerland captain is one of Arteta’s go-to men, and having him as a rotation option when the club will be playing twice a week could be crucial to taking Arsenal to the next step. Working on a one-in, one-out basis simply won’t cut it at this stage, and there is never any real guarantee on how well a player will settle.</p>
<p>If Xhaka is to be sold, it should be next summer when he has a year left on his contract (the club has the option to extend his deal until 2025), giving Arsenal a year to adjust to higher expectations with the safety net of a player who embraces the high standards the club has created.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 Positional understanding </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-133185" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1066,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1247721369.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1066" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1247721369.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1247721369-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Xhaka has become one of Mikel Arteta’s go-to men. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2><strong>3. Positional understanding</strong></h2>
<p>Right now, Arsenal do not have any players who have the positional sense of Granit Xhaka off the ball in the left-eight position, and that has been highlighted when <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/23/fabio-vieira-good-enough-arsenal/">Fabio Vieira</a> has played in his place.</p>
<p>Vieira is someone who looks significantly off the pace in the Premier League, and going into next season with him as the backup for a Mason Mount or a Declan Rice is a big risk given the importance of off-the-ball positional play in Arteta’s well-coached system.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Leverkusen working on a transfer of Granit Xhaka. They would have to pay a double-digit million fee as Xhaka‘s contract with Arsenal running til 2024 with 1-y-option. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/AFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#AFC</a> want to strengthen midfield, Caicedo and Rice being targeted. [<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://twitter.com/berger_pj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@berger_pj] <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/afc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#afc</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://t.co/buEeK3EiqF">pic.twitter.com/buEeK3EiqF
<p>— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://twitter.com/DailyAFC/status/1655953592027684864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>There has been talk of Arteta training <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/04/arsenal-interest-mason-mount-smith-rowe/">Emile Smith Rowe</a> to play that role, but even more talk that he could be a surprise sale, and with his injury record, he is an even bigger risk than Fabio Vieira at this time.</p>
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<p>Upgrading on Xhaka is certainly the next step in the project for Arsenal, but upgrading shouldn’t mean that the current option is sold. After all, we’ve seen the success of having Takehiro Tomiyasu and <a title="3 reasons why Kieran Tierney needs to play more" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/reasons-why-arsenal-not-sell-xhaka/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/09/tierney-needs-to-play-more-arsenal/" rel="">Kieran Tierney</a> as backups this season, and they were two crucial starters this time last year.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
