Arsenal: Selling Granit Xhaka not the worst idea

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is reportedly attracting interest from Inter Milan. Here is why selling him would not be the worst idea in the world.

Earlier in the season, Granit Xhaka commented publicly that he soon would be looking to make the step up in his career and join a more elite club that is capable of challenging at the top-level. Now, with apparent interest from Inter Milan, it perhaps wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Arsenal were to entertain an offer.

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Xhaka is a divisive player: some people think he’s a key cog in the midfield; others think he’s too inconsistent and lazy. I am in the latter group. Don’t get me wrong, Xhaka can be excellent. His passing range is superb, he scores goals from distance, something that is rare at the Emirates, and he provides a controlling, tempo-setting influence at the heart of the team that is invaluable at times.

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However, like many of the modern-day Arsenal footballers, he is also frustratingly inconsistent. Anyone who watched the Nations League game between Portugal and Switzerland last week saw exactly why Xhaka comes in for such criticism. He received the ball in the middle of the park, then cheaply conceded possession, which allowed Portugal to break and score the crucial third goal. Typically, there was no attempt from Xhaka to win the ball back.

His lack of defensive nous has been on full display since his arrival in north London. He consistently loses possession and plays the team into trouble and then never tracks back to help out. His defensive positioning is also very concerning. Xhaka is not a defensive player by design, but there seems to be zero effort or desire when the dirty side of his game is needed. That was part of the reason why Arsenal signed Lucas Torreira, to do Xhaka’s running for him.

It worked with Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira, Gilberto Silva and Cesc Fabregas. The central midfield pair would work in tandem: one would sit back while the other attacked. If they made a mistake, they would then track back and help the other out in the defensive half.

But It doesn’t work with Xhaka. He loses the ball, doesn’t track back, and then leaves a gaping hole in the centre of the park allowing the other team to break into. All this comes with the expectations of a £35 million price tag and a reputation as one of the best central midfielders in the Bundesliga.

As such, the prospect of selling him is far from a terrible one. Inconsistent, weakminded, apathetic and defensively incapable players are the type of players that Arsenal need to be shipping. And Xhaka is chief among them. If a profit could be made on the £35 million initially invested, and then that money reinvested in a new central midfielder, it seems like a no-brainer to me.

Xhaka is a good football player. But if Arsenal want to move forward, they need to be looking at better. Selling him is the first step in that process.