Arsenal showing grit with Granit Xhaka transfer to Roma

By now there weren’t expected to be anymore Twitter posts from Arsenal wishing Granit Xhaka good luck with Switzerland at the European Championships. Roma were supposed to be shouldering that responsibility as Stadio Olimpico was meant to be his home.

The desire from all sides to complete a deal early enough so that Xhaka could be fully focused on his international duties without a transfer saga hanging over his head meant that this conversation shouldn’t have been ongoing.

Ruben Neves had been sounded out as a potential replacement in central midfield and the pursuit of Albert Lokonga has heated up to the point of a deal being imminent for the Belgian. Arsenal have been working on bolstering the numbers in that department.

Xhaka is still here, though; still has his name listed on the official squad register and still eager to link up with Jose Mourinho of whom he’s a huge admirer. Why hasn’t this deal been concluded yet?

Arsenal showing grit with Granit Xhaka transfer to Roma as Gunners encouragingly hold fast to summer valuation

There is a pleasant amount of grit being shown by Arsenal on that front. Almost hourly there are new reports coming out of Italy that state Roma are standing firm on their valuation and likewise over in north London – all of which could change in flash – and that Arteta’s side haven’t caved in to the low-ball offer from the Serie A side is reassuring.

Initially offering a derisory £13m, Arsenal’s demands of closer to £20m with add-ons are being played with by Roma who know they’re in a strong position with Xhaka’s willingness to move to the capital city and the Gunners’ financial predicament.

Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) are the latest to weigh in with developments and they reaffirm that Arsenal are continuing to demand €20m plus bonuses, which will equate to a deal around £20m.

Given the state of the market, Xhaka having two years left on his deal, him not being an ‘elite’ player and also turning 29 in September, to squeeze that amount of money out of a cash-strapped Italian side would constitute fair business. They can’t really be demanding more from anyone if they actually want the sale to come off, even if he has rich Premier League experience.

There is an overriding consensus that this deal will be concluded soon enough. Zero doubt in that regard. Xhaka is pushing for the move – which will pick up pace once Switzerland’s fate in Euro 2020 is decided – but Arsenal digging their heels in is reassuring.

Despite wanting business dealt with early, they can’t bend over backwards in these situations and some tough negotiating makes for a welcome change. Some aggression is being shown in the other direction, so it’s nice to see that reciprocated from a selling perspective.