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Mikel Arteta wants Granit Xhaka to stay at Arsenal and to stay ‘committed’ which is an absolute dream. And it’s surprisingly realistic too.
When your agent comes out and says you have a deal struck with another club, it seems like something you wouldn’t be able to come back from. That’s the case with Granit Xhaka and his future at Arsenal… or Hoffenheim, depending on how things go.
After the Chelsea match, Mikel Arteta made it clear that he wanted Xhaka to stay, and that he had talked to him about what his prospects looked like at the club.
What’s likely happening here is what we saw against Bournemouth—Arteta has a plan for Xhaka. But that plan only works if he’s got Xhaka to carry out the plan. If that plan is anything like what we saw from him against Bournemouth, then for the sake of everyone involved, it’s something we need to see happen.
Granit Xhaka needs to look at the state of the club with an open mind. He loves this club, he’s worked hard for it and it hasn’t panned out. But right now, there is such a degree of optimism among fans with Mikel Arteta in charge that the opportunity really is there for a complete restart.
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Which is something I think Xhaka would find immensely appealing, given his situation.
He was booed off against Crystal Palace and proceeded to have the clean break with the club that we though would have seen him sold in January, but then this new wave of positivity swept through the club like a cool breeze on a summer day and it would be a shame to see Granit Xhaka not take advantage.
It’s been a hard luck time at the Emirates for him. He’s woefully unappreciated, but he’s always ben a stand-up guy who vows to do so much for the club. His pride and joy was being named captain, and while having it stripped away wasn’t ideal, the potential is there to make up for all of that if this new era under Arteta keeps trending in the right direction.
Xhaka can be at the center of that still. And with added stability coming back into the club (hopefully), it will be far more enjoyable a situation.
I don’t want to see Granit Xhaka leave, especially on such a sour note. The opportunity is still there and I hope he takes it.