Granit Xhaka staying at Arsenal could be blessing in disguise as Roma transfer falls through with Arteta set to keep Swiss midfielder in summer window. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Granit Xhaka looked destined to be on his way to Italian side Roma just weeks ago, however now he is set to stay at the Emirates amid rumoured interest in other options. There have been several reports flying around that Arsenal is in talks to extend the Swiss international’s current deal. It’s quite the turnaround.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta even stated to the media after his side’s 2-1 loss to Chelsea that Xhaka was going nowhere.
“Granit is going to stay with us. He is a key member of our squad and a player that we rate and value so much.
“He only trained for two days but still wanted to play in this game and I think that is a very clear commitment from him that he wants to be here,” Arteta said.
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Granit Xhaka staying at Arsenal could be blessing in disguise as Roma transfer falls through with Arteta set to keep Swiss midfielder in summer window
Now some fans have been wanting Xhaka out of the club ever since that moment against Crystal Palace back in October of 2019. Plenty still before that.
Xhaka responded to the thousands of jeers and boos directed at him by the home faithful and proceeded to take off his Arsenal shirt, throw it on the ground and tell the crowd to “f**k off” before heading straight down the tunnel. We remember it vividly.
It was a watershed moment in which every Arsenal fan never wanted to see him take the pitch again. Say what you want about the 28-year-old, but the way he has fought back since that incident is nothing short of remarkable.
Arguably one of Arsenal’s most consistent performers over Arteta’s reign as Gunners boss, the midfielder did look to be on his way out of the club yet again. This time Roma came calling but fell short in its pathetic bid as Arsenal demanded a fee which wasn’t met by the Serie A club.
So, it looks for all world now that Xhaka will remain at the Emirates – and it is not the worst idea. If Arsenal does keep him, then Arteta’s midfield has another body and a proven Premier League player.
Last campaign, Xhaka was a consistent performer in the middle of the park and even deputized at left-back in the absence of Kieran Tierney, performing admirably. His range of passing, tackling, on-field leadership and versatility were all on show.
After having a stellar Euro 2020 campaign with Switzerland, Xhaka returned to the Arsenal side against Chelsea, albeit as a substitute for the injured Thomas Partey. The Swiss international put forth a Man of the Match performance as he made an instant impact despite only having trained for two days prior.
Him staying is a blessing in a not-so-subtle disguise.
Continued…
current deal</a>. It’s quite the turnaround.</p>
<p>Gunners boss Mikel Arteta even stated to the media after his side’s 2-1 loss to Chelsea that Xhaka was going nowhere.</p>
<blockquote><p>“Granit is going to stay with us. He is a key member of our squad and a player that we rate and value so much.</p>
<p>“He only trained for two days but still wanted to play in this game and I think that is a very clear commitment from him that he wants to be here,” Arteta <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/02/granit-xhaka-stay-arsenal-transfer-call/"https://www.arsenal.com/news/arteta-xhaka-bellerin-willock-and-saka" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p>
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<h2>Granit Xhaka staying at Arsenal could be blessing in disguise as Roma transfer falls through with Arteta set to keep Swiss midfielder in summer window</h2>
<p>Now some fans have been wanting Xhaka out of the club ever since that moment against Crystal Palace back in October of 2019. Plenty still before that.</p>
<p>Xhaka responded to the thousands of jeers and boos directed at him by the home faithful and proceeded to take off his Arsenal shirt, throw it on the ground and tell the crowd to “f**k off” before heading straight down the tunnel. We remember it vividly.</p>
<p>It was a watershed moment in which every Arsenal fan never wanted to see him take the pitch again. Say what you want about the 28-year-old, but the way he has fought back since that incident is nothing short of remarkable.</p>
<p>Arguably one of Arsenal’s most consistent performers over Arteta’s reign as Gunners boss, the midfielder did look to be on his way out of the club yet again. This time <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/02/granit-xhaka-stay-arsenal-transfer-call/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/10/arsenal-agree-xhaka-transfer-roma/">Roma came calling but fell short in its pathetic bid as Arsenal demanded a fee which wasn’t met by the Serie A club.</p>
<p>So, it looks for all world now that Xhaka will <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/02/granit-xhaka-stay-arsenal-transfer-call/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/07/30/arsenal-sales-transfer-concern-squad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remain at the Emirates</a> – and it is not the worst idea. If Arsenal does keep him, then <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/02/granit-xhaka-stay-arsenal-transfer-call/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/07/27/arsenal-outlook-season-transfers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arteta’s midfield</a> has another body and a proven <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/02/granit-xhaka-stay-arsenal-transfer-call/"https://www.90min.com/leagues/premier-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Premier League</a> player.</p>
<p>Last campaign, Xhaka was a consistent performer in the middle of the park and even deputized at left-back in the absence of Kieran Tierney, performing admirably. His range of passing, tackling, <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/02/granit-xhaka-stay-arsenal-transfer-call/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/07/20/arsenal-3-vital-xhaka-replacements/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on-field leadership</a> and versatility were all on show.</p>
<p>After having a stellar Euro 2020 campaign with Switzerland, Xhaka returned to the Arsenal side against Chelsea, albeit as a substitute for the injured Thomas Partey. The Swiss international put forth a Man of the Match performance as he made an instant impact despite only having trained for two days prior.</p>
<p>Him staying is a blessing in a not-so-subtle disguise.</p>
<p><em>Continued…</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/2021/08/02/granit-xhaka-stay-arsenal-transfer-call/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Why Xhaka stay is positive </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-117779" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/02/granit-xhaka-stay-arsenal-transfer-call/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1331851182-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Granit Xhaka" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 01: Granit Zhaka of Arsenal in action during the Pre Season Friendly match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on August 01, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Why Arsenal Keeping Granit Xhaka is Positive</h2>
<p>Overall, it was a great showing from the midfielder on Sunday, and he capped off his performance with a fine header to drag Arsenal level. He received a warm welcome from the fans inside the Emirates stadium and he will again be a vital cog in the Gunners midfield this season. Watching him grab the badge as he did rubber-stamped his future as being in north London.</p>
<p>His consistent outings have been something that Arteta has been able to count on and even though his contract situation is not fully sorted yet, Xhaka will go about his business like the true professional he is.</p>
<p>Having him stay at the club is not the worst thing, at least for this year. If Arsenal does not get the fee it wants then he will stay, as the offers flung about so far are not even remotely representative of his ability. It now allows Arteta to build around having Xhaka a part of the squad instead of having to sign a replacement, now an extra body or two can be brought in to help shoulder the midfield load and finances can be focused elsewhere.</p>
<p>It was clear against Chelsea (and numerous times previously) that it isn’t right in any way to have Mohamed Elneny playing serious midfield minutes week in and week out, so depending on the <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/02/granit-xhaka-stay-arsenal-transfer-call/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/02/partey-injury-arsenal-gabriel-blow/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outcome of Partey’s injury</a>, a Xhaka/Lokonga tandem could be the way to go for the start of the campaign.</p>
<p>Get the pair playing together against Tottenham in a few days and then having the pair play the opening Premier League match against Brentford is perhaps the best-case scenario. While some fans are not thrilled with him staying, the fact is he is an important player whether we like it or not.</p>
<p>A true professional who goes about his business and puts in solid performances consistently, having Xhaka fit and firing is certainly better than relying on the likes of Elneny to play a host of games. If there are no better, accessible options out there then Arsenal shouldn’t be settling for second best. His sale should only be sanctioned if it enables the team to improve.</p>
<p>It is certainly not the end of the world now that Xhaka is staying as it could have left Arsenal very short on midfield options given the current state of the central midfield (Partey and Lokonga aside) which would not make for positive viewing.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Will the real Nicolas Pepe please stand up?" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/01/nicolas-pepe-finally-arsenal-star/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/02/granit-xhaka-stay-arsenal-transfer-call/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/01/nicolas-pepe-finally-arsenal-star/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Will the real Nicolas Pepe please stand up? </a> </div>
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<p>Sealing his return to the team with a Man of the Match performance and a goal, Granit Xhaka could yet play a pivotal role in Arsenal’s 2021/22 Premier League season.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
