Arsenal: Top 5 players to be sold this summer

1. Granit Xhaka

I do actually like Granit Xhaka as a player. He has some clear qualities that are useful in the midfield area. His passing, his size and stature, his bite in the tackle, though sometimes he goes a little overboard with that, his dictating control of the ball, especially in possession. But when playing as the midfield anchor, there are too many issues for him to overcome.

His lack of athleticism is immediately and painfully noticeable. He struggles to cover ground. He struggles to screen the defence. Plugging counter-attacks, a staple responsibility of the defensive-midfield role, is not something that he is especially endeared to. As such, if Arsenal could sell Xhaka to fund a move for a more defensive-minded, more intelligent, danger-aware, and mobile midfielder, then I believe it could be the most important move that is made of the whole summer.

Some may say that Xhaka does not need to be sold for such a player to be signed. To some extent, that is true. But knowing Wenger’s tendencies, I am not so sure that he would ever commit to a defend-first midfielder with Xhaka still available for selection. So this, in essence, is to force his hand a little.

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Xhaka is a perfectly good player. He is a fine squad player who can come in for games every now and then. But he is a not title-winning central midfielder. There are too many problems with his game. That is why it is time for him to be sold, improved upon, and for Arsenal to move on.