Arsenal: The one Granit Xhaka thing to remember

Granit Xhaka has signed a new, long-term extension with Arsenal. The response to the news has not been especially positive. There is, though, one key thing to remember: he’s still only 25.

Granit Xhaka is a contentious player. The central midfielder has now been at Arsenal for two years. Signed for £35 million, there was a tentative expectation that he would grow into a commanding, dominating, authoritative midfielder. That hasn’t quite played out.

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Xhaka has been extremely inconsistent. While he clearly possesses the natural traits to be a successful modern-day midfielder, other than a lack of athleticism that has curtailed his impact, his lapses in concentration, his absence of defensive acumen, and his dumbfounding errors continually undermine the good work that he does do, especially from deeper positions when in possession.

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I have been somewhat critical of Xhaka, especially in his second season when I expected him to kick on after a promising end to his first. However, he certainly improved more recently, protected by the energy and legs of flanking pair Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere.

And that improvement has seen him handed a new contract, a long-term extension that is thought to keep him at the Emirates until 2023. The response has not been all that positive. As I said, Xhaka is a contentious figure. But something that Stephan Lichtsteiner said of Xhaka, when asked about his international teammate, really peaked my interest:

"“I’ve known Granit now for more than six or seven years, so he’s just an amazing player. He’s very good and he’s still young. It’s not easy for him to be the direct leader at 23 or 24 years old, so I hope I can help him to become bigger and bigger. He had a very good season and I hope next year he will do even better.”"

Because Xhaka is a vastly experienced player — he has made 94 appearances for Arsenal already, was the captain of his former team, Borussia Monchengladbach, and has 61 caps for Switzerland –, it is easy to overlook his youthfulness.

Xhaka is still only 25 years of age. He will not turn 26 until September of the new season. Now, that is not to say that he is a young, up-and-coming player who should be treated as a potential prospect rather than a fully-fledged starter. He shouldn’t. But it is a reminder that this is a player who is still learning his craft and developing his game, especially in a team and league that he has only played for and in for two years.

That does not excuse the mistakes that he has made; it does not reason away his underwhelming form of the past two seasons, even with his recent uptick in performance. But it does provide a little context for his struggles and perhaps provides an element of hope for his future, a future that Arsenal and Unai Emery have committed to.

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Xhaka still needs to improve if he is to ever fulfil his price tag and meet the expectations that many had. But let’s not treat him as if he should have it all sussed out already. He doesn’t have much time to prove his qualities, but he does still have some.