Arsenal: Okay Granit Xhaka, you’ve proven your point, you can stay

Arsenal put forth a rousing display at the Emirates against Manchester United and it’s safe to say that Granit Xhaka won some support on his quest to stay.

You know me. I’m fair and balanced in all things Granit Xhaka. Always have been always will. And I’m telling you right now that if Arsenal lose Xhaka this January, they will be left scrambling to figure out how to deal with it for months, if not years. Maybe ever.

Granit Xhaka was supposed to leave for Hoffenheim this month. After a tremendous performance against Bournemouth, the rumors kicked up thanks to his agent confirming that they wanted a move. Compile that with his absence at Chelsea and I had assumed Xhaka would be gone by today.

But he wasn’t. In fact, he wasn’t just not gone, he was more here than ever before.

Despite what the Pain in the Arsenal player ratings may say, Granit Xhaka had a tremendous day. Not only on the ball, but off it.

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Other than Ainsley Maitland-Niles, no one won the ball back more than the Swiss midfielder, who was everywhere on the pitch today. He combined masterfully with Lucas Torreira, he played in a flee-flowing role that had the liberty to get forward and when he did get the ball, his passing was simply delicious.

Every single time he looked up to play a ball, you just knew something was coming. Even if it was just a pass back to a centerback, he still found the most space possible and put the ball exactly where it needed to be to maximize a potential move.

And Captain Xhaka was back out as well, marshaling the troops, organizing that midfield and defense and doing everything someone who cared about the club and was determined to stay would do. It looked like the effort of a man who was trying to convince the world that this is exactly where he wanted to be, and what a job of convincing it was.

The big question is what Xhaka wants. According to his agent, he wants a move to Hoffenheim, but Mikel Arteta is determined to get Xhaka to stay. If you have any questions why, you’re hopeless.

This team is just different when Xhaka is in form. It’s plain as day. If we don’t want to lose that edge, we can’t lose him. You got this, Mikel Arteta. Keep him here.