Arsenal: No, Granit Xhaka did not say we are four years away

Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka has compared Liverpool’s growth to Arsenal’s, but his comments are being blown way out of proportion, as usual.

Granit Xhaka is going to come under more fire (and he already is) for his comments about Arsenal‘s title winning chances. If you buy what the headlines are telling you, he said that it could be another four years before the Gunners are competing again. From the source itself, they are saying this, despite his words being anything but.

That is, in fact, not what he said. Not at all. What he actually said was that Liverpool have been working on their current success for three to four years, and the Gunners may need a similar time frame. Meaning that, three to four years from the start of this new project, which began last year, we can start to expect to see results.

Leave it to the modern media to take a nugget of what a player said and blow it up into something he didn’t say. It shouldn’t even be surprising anymore.

This is what he actually said, in its entirety:

"“We know they [Liverpool’s players and Klopp] have been working together for three or four years. We had new staff last year, we are improving our way and we need some time as well. With Liverpool, the first Premier League season with Klopp was not the best. You can see how they’ve improved and how it can work if you are together more than three or four years.”More from Pain in the Arsenal3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victoryArsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison ParkMikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win"

That’s it. Meaning that we are already over a year into that time frame, and that, at max, we’re looking at another two to three years, if we follow the Liverpool model. But something else to consider about the Liverpool model is that they fell harder and farther than Arsenal did when they changed over to Klopp than when we changed over to Emery.

It’s funny that this is all being blown so far out of proportion because, even when Emery first signed, people were saying it could take three years to see results. Emery’s contract is for three years, that’s just another hint.

Essentially, all Xhaka did was regurgitate what everyone had already agreed upon, only a year later. The only thing he did wrong was not specifically point out that we are well into that three to four year period already. Silly him, for giving the media then benefit of the doubt that his words wouldn’t be misconstrued.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, let me say it here, in big bold letters:

Granit Xhaka did not say we are four years away from competing with Liverpool.

That is all. Have a nice day. Use your brain.