Arsenal: 3 questions after Granit Xhaka transfer stance

Arsenal find themselves in familiar territory. Their predicament is one that has left them hanging out to dry before. They have either failed to sell players in the past or opted to do so at the wrong time. What is going on with Granit Xhaka is something new.

Early on in the transfer window it was talk of Xhaka moving on to Roma that was due to set the tone of the entire summer. The clearing of deadwood was known prior and while not one of the frontrunners, the Swiss was a non-indispensable member of this squad.

A club guilty of not taking risks in the past, moving Xhaka on would signal genuine intent. It would be a defining part of the rebuild; go for the jugular and don’t look back.

In many ways it became exciting. Fearful still of the recruitment team failing to follow through successfully with their decisions, it nonetheless opened the door for change that supporters could get on board with. Thomas Partey would become the senior midfielder in the squad and the potential was there to reinforce his presence.

Arsenal: 3 questions after Granit Xhaka transfer stance with Mikel Arteta looking at wholesale changes in summer window

Roma have struggled to follow through with their own ambitions. As of yet, despite weeks of talks, they are refusing to match the meagre £17m valuation Arsenal have set for their former captain. It’s pittance, in truth.

Due to the stalemate, a new contract is set to be offered to the 28-year-old, one designed to protect his value.

Now this may have initially seemed like tactics. Arsenal aren’t known for being smart operators, but there is every chance they were leaking certain information with the intention of forcing Roma’s hand. Jose Mourinho’s side are only a few million short – they just spend £17m on a bang average striker – and with personal terms all wrapped up, raising their offer is all that is needed.

If isn’t, however, and given the Swiss’ reaction and Arteta’s comments, is indeed a genuine move from the club to keep hold of Xhaka and maintain his partnership with Partey into next season. Whether right or wrong, it’s happening. It’s a sudden shift that coughs up a number of questions.

1. Money Runs Dry?

Moving on from Xhaka was set to bring about a new squad building perspective, one that allowed Mikel Arteta to change the dynamic in midfield. Partey’s capabilities as both a No.6 and box-to-box midfielder widened the scope for what Arsenal could become.

Everyone is well aware of Xhaka’s finer qualities as well as his limitations. As brilliant as a footballer as he can be, nobody can sit back and lay claim to him being impossible to upgrade on. Just glancing across the midfielders who’ve been linked with a move to north London this summer, that is clear.

An injection of energy and mobility, or creativity and an eye for goal could be brought in to partner Partey. Players with those capabilities, or others of an entirely different ilk to Xhaka who can unleash the Ghanaian as a more belligerent force do exist in the market. There are plenty.

That seemed to be the plan, anyway. An opportunity for something different.

With Xhaka now staying over what is essentially a few millions quid, it indicates that Arsenal may have expended too many resources on Ben White, leaving them with little wiggle room in the market.

If selling Xhaka doesn’t enable Arsenal to improve the team, then it makes sense to stay put. However, with the money, they most certainly can. This drastic shift can hint towards a realisation that if Arteta and co are wanting to see to attacking midfield, right-back, goalkeeper and more recently striker, they can ill-afford to spend heavily on central midfield as well.

It’s the most important transfer of the entire window, yet if the scouting department have looked across the market and come to the conclusion that Xhaka is better than what they can afford, then they may have limited themselves. Xhaka staying is not disastrous but it was the area of the pitch to throw big money at.

2. Are Arsenal Lacking in Leaders?

After confirming Albert Sambi Lokonga’s arrival from Anderlecht in mid-July, Arteta discussed what else would be needed in the market to ensure his side were as prepared as they could be for the coming season.

He said:

"“We need some senior players,” he told the official website. “Players with different types of leadership in the team, with different qualities, people that complement each other. “At the end of the day it is about the cohesion of the team so we need a squad that is cohesive that can develop and adapt, that offers different qualities to change games, protect games when we need to and this is what we are trying to build.”"

Deciphering the training videos, Kieran Tierney seems to have an aura of ‘captain’ about him. The way he conducts himself paints him as a leader. After him though, the ‘leadership group’ is Rob Holding, Hector Bellerin, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Two of those are due to leave and the latter is not your typical vocal leader.

Xhaka is a leader. Someone to galvanise, instruct and marshal.

Coaching the squad without Xhaka in and around the place, Arteta may have seen the atmosphere and felt that without his presence something was missing. A key piece.

The players respect Xhaka and hold him in incredibly high regard. While fans are only privy to what happens on the field, out of the public eye all the noises in and around London Colney are that the midfielder is a brilliant teammate and a reliable figure.

Arsenal will need that next season.

3. Is Anything Going to Change Next Season?

Xhaka is far from the biggest issue at Arsenal. He is someone who looked destined to be moved on from, opening the door for a new approach and dynamic, but he is now staying put.

Is anything going to change?

With the exception of Ben White and Xhaka, it appears as if the team that started against Chelsea will be the one to kick things off against Brentford. A midfield pivot of Elneny and Xhaka on the opening day of the Premier League season looms large.

There have to be alterations throughout the team – right-back is concerning and the striker situation unconvincing – but with near enough the exact same team that finished eighth two seasons in a row with the addition of a central defender, what will change?

More poor chance creation, lapses in concentration and sloppiness playing out from the back? Xhaka staying is, of course, not solely responsible for all of this in any way but his departure would have been the primary piece of business this summer to forge something ‘new’.

Ahead of the season, fifth is the absolute most realistic target even if that will be hugely challenging. The current top four are miles in front of Arsenal.

Given that, bolstering the numbers with key backup signings and, it would seem, placing real faith in Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey to explode this term with fifth in sight is the goal. Then, if disaster strikes with other teams, Arsenal’s limited amount of games may give them an edge.

There is still a month to go and plenty will happen during that time, but the fear grows.