MY ACCOUNT
Granit Xhaka has gone from zero to hero at Arsenal.
Once a lightning rod for supporter dissatisfaction and a liability in midfield, the 30-year-old has been transformed into a star performer for Mikel Arteta’s high-flying Gunners.
It represents a remarkable redemption for the Switzerland international, who appeared on the verge of leaving the Emirates Stadium before his recent renaissance.
As Arsenal prepare to take on Nottingham Forest this afternoon, we assess how Xhaka has turned things around in North London.
A symbol of decline
Xhaka initially signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2016 — but his arrival coincided with a decline in fortunes for the Gunners.
The three-time Premier League winners have not finished in the top four since the Basel native joined, with Xhaka’s own form mirroring that of his club.
He veered from the sublime to the ridiculous across his first five campaigns, mixing exceptional performances with a number of disastrous displays.
Discipline was a particular problem for the former Borussia Monchengladbach man, who has accumulated five red cards during his time in N7.
Close to an exit
The low point of Xhaka’s Arsenal career came against Crystal Palace in October 2019, when he clashed with fans at the Emirates — appearing to swear at the crowd after he was booed off the pitch.
The 106-cap international was stripped of the captaincy following that incident, with his standing among Gunners’ supporters in tatters.
He came close to leaving North London in the transfer windows that followed — but Arteta convinced Xhaka to remain.
It is looking like a wise decision, after the midfield maestro’s flying start to the season.
Positional shift
In many ways Xhaka has been a victim of Arsenal’s squad deficiencies.
He has been used as a defensive midfielder for much of his time at the club, despite that role not necessarily matching his skill set.
A lack of acceleration meant that he was often caught out of position, while his tackling ability is not of the required standard to play as a traditional No6.
However, the arrivals of Thomas Partey, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Albert Sambi Lokonga mean that he is now free to be deployed further forward.
That positional shift from Arteta is paying dividends, as Arsenal can now make greater use of Xhaka’s sublime passing and impressive finishing.
End product
Xhaka is thriving as a left-sided attacking midfielder — and is on course to rack up the most goal contributions of his career.
He has registered three goals and three assists in the Premier League this term, which is a remarkable return from just 11 appearances.
Meanwhile, a further match-winning strike against PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League last week underlined Xhaka’s renewed importance to Arsenal’s offensive play.
Full circle
Arteta was full of praise for Xhaka after his man-of-the-match performance in that 1-0 victory over PSV.
He said: “He [Xhaka] deserves that. He has faced adversity in difficult moments — he has put his arm up when he had something different to do, his work ethic, the way he is as a person, the way he treats everyone around the club, and the love for this football club and profession is unquestionable.
“He fully deserves that and I’m really happy to see him enjoying his career.”
The Gunners’ boss added: “We believed he had the qualities to do that [keep scoring goals] and sometimes it’s just unlocking something in the players mind — and be more open and be receptive to all the things.
“He’s been extremely open and his work-rate all the time to learn is fantastic, and now I think it’s paying off.”
Things have undoubtedly come full circle for Xhaka, who has never been more popular with the Arsenal faithful and is arguably playing the best football of his career.
