Pain in the Arsenal
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Granit Xhaka’s 7 best moments in an Arsenal shirt

By William Upton

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 01: Granit Xhaka of Arsenal celebrates scoring the team's fourth goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leeds United at Emirates Stadium on April 01, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 01: Granit Xhaka of Arsenal celebrates scoring the team's fourth goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leeds United at Emirates Stadium on April 01, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Xhaka enjoyed the post-match celebrations at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Xhaka enjoyed the post-match celebrations at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) /

6. “It’s F*cking Unbelievable”

6th November 2022

Arsenal have just beaten Chelsea 1-0. Xhaka is getting interviewed by BT Sport. He’s wearing the captain’s armband. The fans are singing his name. He gets asked for his thoughts about the win.

“You see this atmosphere? It’s f*cking unbelievable!” he answered, much to the chagrin of the interviewer.

You were quite right Xhaka, the atmosphere was indeed majestic.

7. 2022/23 season

Xhaka is never a boring player, and that was particularly true this season. Two moments really stood out to me, though.

The first came against West Ham in December. Tomas Soucek falls to the ground with the ball between his legs as Arsenal are awarded a free kick. Xhaka tries to wrestle him away from it, which takes a few seconds and the help of Martin Odegaard, lifting Soucek’s leg for no apparent reason.

As Xhaka is then lining up to take the freekick, Lucas Paqueta kicks the ball away, so Xhaka just kicks it at him from a couple of metres away and then jogs away serenely with the ball. It exemplifies the type of player he is: a battler.

The second moment came at the end of the North London Derby this season. After a tetchy game that Arsenal won, there was funny business down Aaron Ramsdale’s end when a fan attempted to kick him and there was some bad blood between the keeper and Richarlison.

https://twitter.com/deadsy11/status/1614834547002331137

Thankfully, Mikel Arteta calmed the situation down and put an arm around Ramsdale, taking him away from the scuffle. Then, he saw Xhaka jogging over which triggered a cartoonish double take. The Spaniard’s eyebrows rise considerably and he sprints over to take care of Xhaka as well. One of Arsenal’s funniest moments of the season.

Looking back over his time at Arsenal, I think it’s abundantly clear that the man will be sorely missed. His spirit, passion and leadership are big things to lose in that dressing room. Xhaka was always first to defend his teammates, and he never hid from the occasion despite reaching some seriously low points throughout his Arsenal career.

Thank you for your service, Granit.

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