Arsenal: Granit Xhaka to Atletico Madrid same as Aaron Ramsey to Juventus

Arsenal are preparing for the possibility of losing Granit Xhaka to Atletico Madrid, which wouldn’t be that different than losing Aaron Ramsey to Juventus.

Granit Xhaka doesn’t want to leave Arsenal. He wants to be the captain, he deserves to be the captain, and anyone that says otherwise can bury their head in the mud, because they’re wrong.

It’s not that different than how Aaron Ramsey went unappreciated at the Emirates for so long. he did the job he was asked to do, but fans are rarely satisfied, and they wanted him to do more. I’ve said it so many times, but I will say it again – Ramsey is going to conquer the world at Juventus. His style of play is going to fit there like melted butter on bread and we are going to see the absolute best of the man we let walk for free.

What does this have to do with Granit Xhaka? Everything. Because Atletico Madrid are sniffing around after Xhaka to potentially replace Rodrigo and while I will bury my own head in the mud if we sell Xhaka, a part of me wants to see him go to Atletico solely so that he can thrive and show everyone how wrong they were about him.

If Xhaka goes to Atletico, he will be fitting into a system that knows his strengths, will play to his strengths, and will accentuate those strengths.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (and again, and again…), Xhaka is asking a lot out of himself to continue to grow and thrive in the unforgiving Premier League. But if he were to play in Serie A or La Liga, where the style of play is much more accommodating for a player with his abilities, he will prove to be a world class passer with an unrivaled intelligence.

You can’t even imagine the kinds of articles I’d be writing if this move happens and Xhaka inevitably thrives in his new digs. I’d be insufferable.

Of course, the difference between Ramsey and Xhaka is that we’d actually be getting a worthwhile price for Granit Xhaka, and not letting him walk for free. So there’s that. But it’s still so far from worth it that I can’t believe I’m even dignifying it.

Xhaka can’t be sold, because this team is not ready to handle life without him. They just aren’t. And it’s a bad idea to sell him just to find out if we can.