Arsenal: Bravery, not cowardice, prompting Granit Xhaka to leave

Arsenal fans want Granit Xhaka gone and, sure enough, he may leave. But this is not an act of cowardice. No, far from it.

Rumors are beginning to pick up that Granit Xhaka is ready to leave Arsenal, and naturally, this has prompted more people to show their colors and embarrass themselves and their club with their ridiculous hatred of this man who has given his all for the club.

At this point, it’s time for Granit Xhaka to leave, not because they want him to, but because it’s the brave thing to do.

It’s hard to walk away from your goals. But goals change. And being able to see when your goals no longer align with your current standing requires intelligence, and it also requires the courage to say enough is enough, and move on.

Some may call it quitting, but a more accurate way to describe it is ‘moving forward’. It’s like when you get a new job, and you’re passionate about it, and you earn a promotion, all the while you are giving your all for this company. But as time goes by, you start to see that your coworkers don’t support you as much, your clients don’t seem to respect you, and your image of this workplace is souring.

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That’s when it gets tough. When you have to stop and ask yourself what’s better for you. Change is hard. Moving clubs is hard. The easy thing to do would be to stay and retain his spot at the club. He’s earned it, whether the fans like it or not.

The hard thing would be to reassess and say, “you know what, I deserve better than this. I deserve a fan base that isn’t so vile” and move on. That requires conviction and it requires bravery, both of which Granit Xhaka has in abundance.

So it’s time to talk away. I would love to see him stay and fight for his spot. I would love to see him deny the haters and establish himself as the elite midfielder he is. But in the end, I would rather see Xhaka succeed as a player elsewhere and be happy and supported and see Arsenal do whatever they’re going to do without him than I would see Xhaka and Arsenal go down together.

Maybe there’s more respectability in going down with the ship you’re captaining, but that time has passed. These fans will never appreciate him, and he deserves so much more than that. It’s time for Xhaka to realize that and make the difficult decision to walk away. He gave his all and maybe, in time, these idiots can see that. But I won’t hold my breath for it.