Arsenal: Denis Zakaria the leery Granit Xhaka do-over

Arsenal fans are going to perk right up at the idea of swapping out Granit Xhaka for Denis Zakaria and honestly, they absolutely should.

Arsenal fans were so vile and nasty to Granit Xhaka that they lead him to making a snap, emotional decision to fire back at them, and it’s been all quiet ever since. Well, on Xhaka’s side anyway, fans are still spewing vitriol, because that’s what they do.

So naturally, fans are going to be perking up when they hear that the Gunners may be looking to do business with Borussia Monchengladbach yet again, this time undoing the Xhaka sale and using him as a make-weight to secure Denis Zakaria, the man who slid into the Xhaka absence and made quite a name for himself.

There’s value to be placed in this potential swap move. A lot of value. Zakaria is what many fans would actually want. he’s a big, strong, athletic bruiser who doesn’t deliberate, doesn’t linger, he just wrecks. And with all that activity, he scores the occasional goal.

But you have to be aware of what trading out a control tower for a bulldozer stripped of its brake pedal will do. And once you’re okay with that, then you can move forward with wanting this.

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I love what Zakaria provides as a player and I’ll admit, the idea of a midfield build on the backs of Matteo Guendouzi and Zakaria is enough to make a trickle of pee come out, but we also have to think practically about this and the risks involved.

So I’ll just say it—yes, we will miss Granit Xhaka. Just like we are now. Because we have zero presence in the midfield, and Zakaria isn’t going to change that. He’s not as secure on the ball as Xhaka is. Honestly, there are few who are.

Zakaria fits in that same camp as Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira. Incredibly active, not a lot of “let’s take a moment to figure out what happens next.” It’s chaos. A controlled chaos, perhaps, but chaos nonetheless, and that takes a good deal of staying on top of to make work.

We haven’t been able to make it work without Xhaka. Which is the only reasons why I have a lingering leeriness about all of this. At some point, the midfield has to slow down and take their time, and Zakaria doesn’t do that.

That said, Matteo Guendouzi may get there. And that’s what this move hinges on—getting Guendouzi to replace Xhaka before we part with him. Godspeed.