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Granit Xhaka could emulate Cesc Fabregas in being a former Arsenal player to join Chelsea. Xhaka might expect the same reaction that Fabregas got, such is the nature of the Premier League rivalry.
After an impressive season back in the Premier League with Sunderland, Xhaka has been linked with Chelsea. Xhaka captained the Black Cats to a seventh-place finish in their first season back in English soccer's top flight. This qualified Sunderland for the Europa League group stages.
The Blues' incoming manager is Xabi Alonso, who was Xhaka's manager at Bayer Leverkusen. They had tremendous success together at Leverkusen. They won the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, DFL-Supercup, and got to the Europa League final.
Chelsea are on the back of a disappointing campaign where they finished 10th and did not qualify for any form of European soccer. Despite not competing in Europe, Chelsea is still a massive club, and the lure of returning to London and playing under Alonso again would be great for Xhaka.
Xhaka, who is now 33, would be an experienced head in this Chelsea squad. He could fit in well in the Blues' midfield playing alongside Moises Caicedo Alonso's favored 3-4-2-1 formation.
Granit Xhaka might emulate Cesc Fabregas
Xhaka was not always very popular amongst Arsenal fans when he was at the club. He was booed off when he was substituted in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in 2019. Xhaka reacted badly to the abuse from supporters as he stormed down the tunnel. This led to him being stripped of the Arsenal captaincy by Unai Emery. Mikel Arteta reintegrated Xhaka into his lineup, and he went on to be a solid player for the Gunners before he joined Leverkusen.
Fabregas was very popular with Arsenal fans when he was at the club. He was seen as one of them after coming through the ranks at the club, after being part of Barcelona's academy. Fabregas won the FA Cup with Arsenal and played over 300 times for them.
The Spaniard did push for a move back to Barcelona in 2011. However, many Gunners fans understood that he wanted to go home and play for Pep Guardiola's side.
Arsenal fans were then furious when he joined Chelsea in 2014. Whenever Fabregas faced Arsenal in a Chelsea shirt, he was booed. Xhaka can expect a similar reception if he is to join the Blues and comes up against the Gunners.
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