Arsenal: Does anyone actually think Granit Xhaka is that petty?

Every single step that Granit Xhaka takes is now being interpreted as a dig at Arsenal fans, but do we really think he’s so petty as that?

There’s no escaping what happened during the Crystal Palace match. Part of me thinks that the particularly nasty bunch of Arsenal match-goers are proud of themselves for driving Granit Xhaka to such an emotional reaction, and they will undoubtedly credit themselves for shamelessly running him out of the club.

Since then, Xhaka has not played. He hasn’t been on the bench. Which is suddenly infuriating to the same fans that don’t want him at the club anymore. You know how it works.

But during international break, Xhaka returned to the Swiss national team and played quite well, scoring a goal and celebrating with fans who actually appreciate him. Which, of course, has led to headlines that accuse Xhaka of aiming digs at Arsenal fans.

For the record, if he wanted to have sly digs at fans, he has every right to. They’re awful. But these posts are so harmless that it’s ridiculous to think he is petty enough to be targeting Gooners with them.

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The first was a post thanking the Swiss fans and commenting that it’s fun to play when you’re not worried about what other people think of you.

Okay, so maybe that was a slight dig, but there are a multitude of other things it could relate to, including just being a blanket statement. I can say that it’s quite nice to write without worrying what people think of me. That isn’t a dig at you, the reader, it’s just me rejoicing in my station.

The second post just outright thanked the Swiss fans again. Nothing else. He scored a goal, he thanked the fans for the support. Which is about the most bland dig you could make, if he was making it. But he wasn’t. If anything, maybe being harassed by “fans” in England has led to him appreciating the Swiss fans more, but thinking that this is about the piggish Arsenal fans that lead to his breakdown is giving them way more credit than they deserve.

It’s just a guy appreciating fans who are actually supportive. Big whoop.

But that’s the English media for you. Especially on an international break. Slow news, so let’s dig into every player post and dig out hidden meaning that was never even intended.