Arsenal: Granit Xhaka “next level” statements blown out of proportion

A curious quote emerged from Granit Xhaka recently about his future at Arsenal, but as easy as it is to do, let’s not blow this out of proportion.

Just two days ago I was freaking out at a single sentence Granit Xhaka seemed to say about how he wanted to play at “the next level” and how Arsenal didn’t have to be “the last stop.” I’ve had some time to chill, thanks in part to an excellent evaluation from The Daily Cannon, where they call into question if Xhaka even actually said those words.

I was a bit haste in jumping on the “what then hell is this” without even considering the source, but the Daily Cannon did that for me and made it clear that this quote is a bit odd, it’s not from a regular source, and to take it all one step further, Xhaka has never so much as hinted that he wasn’t happy at the Emirates.

The only words Xhaka has ever said about leaving the club were in relation to a “dream” he has of moving back to Basel at some point, but that’s certainly not the “next level,” so toss that statement out as well. A lot of players dream of returning to the club where they got their start.

The biggest reason to cast doubt on these statements is that Xhaka is just so happy at this club, and he has always been perfectly clear in pointing that out going back as far as his first years with the club when he was struggling. 

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

You can see it on the pitch, and you can see it in his encouragement off the pitch. This is not a guy who is fishing for a transfer. He loves this club, he gives his all each and every time he takes the pitch, and he’s absolutely not the kind of player who’s going to openly diss his own club, a club that he loves, and say they aren’t top level.

Xhaka just signed a new long-term contract last summer, and the only thing that has changed between now and then is that he has become an even bigger part of this club as it transitions into a new era.

He’s been a captain, he’s played the second most minutes on the team and he is finally starting to be appreciated by a fanbase who has been upset that he isn’t Patrick Vieira for the past two years.

This isn’t a guy who wants to leave. I don’t know where that quote came from, but it was either taken way out of context or he didn’t say it at all.