Arsenal: Make or break season for Granit Xhaka

Granit Xhaka is in his third season at Arsenal football club. He is yet to deliver on the £35 million invested in him. It’s make-or-break for the oft-criticised and painfully frustrating midfielder.

The international break is over and club football is back as the Gunners look to make it 10 wins in a row against Leicester City at the Emirates on Monday night. There have been good times at Arsenal recently and there has been an unsung hero at the heart of it all.

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Granit Xhaka came up with a good reputation from Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach. A player who was known for his strong mentality and excellent ability to create play, delivering defence-breaking passes, expectations were high when he was signed for £35 million two summers ago.

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However, since his arrival, he has not fully lived up to said expectations. For extended periods, he has been the epicentre of fans’ criticism because of his lacklustre performances over the past two years. He often committed loose turnovers, sometimes in the most crucial situations which resulted in chances or even goals conceded, and he also hasn’t consistently executed his defensive duties. He has failed to provide the protection that a proper defensive midfielder should and dived into useless tackles, which end in either a yellow card or a severely out-of-position and unbalanced midfield.

Xhaka was becoming more and more inconsistent and the fans demanded him out of the club as he was unable to deliver standout performances. But times have changed. Arsene Wenger is gone. The reign of Unai Emery has begun. Emery showed unexpected faith in Xhaka, convinced that the midfield man still had a big role at Arsenal.

Emery bought Lucas Torreira into the midfield and freed Xhaka from his defensive duties somewhat, providing him with the license to travel in attacking areas and create problems for the opposition with his excellent distribution and creative delivery from deep. And in this new role, he has looked like a completely new player — or is it more that he looks the old Xhaka rejuvenated?

Consistently this season, he has laid down perfect passes from deep positions, furthering the attacking play and creating openings for more advanced teammates in the final third. And one could not forget the belting freekick he scored at the most crucial time of Arsenal’s win over Newcastle. He provides more than just calmness and control.

It’s a crucial time for Xhaka. He must step to his full potential and start delivering on a consistent basis. Emery will not be afraid to bench him if he continues to wade through topsy-turvy performances. Xhaka has his own importance.

But he has to prove it. Matteo Guendouzi is knocking on the door. Emery has no loyalty to him. His price demands results, results that he has rarely provided. It really is make-or-break.