Former Arsenal man Kieran Gibbs believes the current Gunners team is missing Granit Xhaka, who left them in the summer for Bayer Leverkusen.
Last season was Xhaka’s best in an Arsenal shirt as he nearly led them to win the Premier League, but he left the club for a new challenge at Leverkusen in the last transfer window.
The Gunners signed Kai Havertz to replace the Swiss captain, but the German is struggling and Arsenal has failed to fill the void he left behind.
After watching them lose their unbeaten run to Newcastle United, Gibbs believes Mikel Arteta’s side is missing their former midfield leader.
He said, as quoted by Talk Sport:
“I think the absence of Xhaka actually.
“He probably had his best season last season, let’s be honest, after a long spell at the club.
“I don’t think he was underrated last season. I just think he was appreciated more for what he was doing. He calmed down his antics with his fouls and stuff. He just cleaned up a lot of his game. I felt he was a really good link.
“He gave that balance, especially when [Oleksandr] Zinchenko came in last season and started to play inverted, it gave Xhaka a bit of a different role. I do think it is having a bigger effect on the team than most people think.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Xhaka was an important player for us last season and the Swiss star is a big miss in the current team.
Havertz’s failure to impress could eventually cost us the title, as he was signed to fill an important role.
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I really do think that Arteta has got it wrong with these players and his tactics. One is Havertz, then Nketiah, Raya and Jorginho. These are the players to cost us the prem. He should be using Zinchenko in Xaka’s position while Tomiyasu take the left back. He needs replacement for Havertz and needs to return Ramsdale between the posts. We need a top, 20+ goal striker , pls
Xhaka was great (when finally played in his proper position) but we don’t need him but we certainly need someone to fill the gap he left.
What we needed to buy was a proper replacement, which we failed to do many times in the past 4 windows!
This is the proper when you build a system based on specific players and never rotate. When those players leave then you get the issues we are seeing now, instead of building a proper system that many players can adapt to when they come in.
*problem
Agreed. Xhaka was fantastic last season but I understood when we sold him, we got a good fee, he turned 31, I think he left on a high.
But to replace him with Havertz is just abysmal, absolutely terrible business. Rice has been fantastic too but lets’ be honest, Rice has been the replacement for Partey as I don’t think they’ve played once together in midfield.
Getting Raya was great business too IMO, small fee, great keeper. Dropping Ramsdale for Raya I think was correct as well. But to drop Raya for Ramsdale, why hasn’t it been done? Why isn’t dropping players off form being practiced on all players?
If Arsenal fail to win anything once again this season after the huge monetary outlay, then Arteta needs to go.
Aside from Rice his signings have been pretty awful if I am honest.
Signing Havertz is an unforgiveable mistake. He is not going to get better in the position Arteta wants to play him in and everywhere else on the pitch he is just as awful.
How anyone can view Raya as an improvement over Ramsdale is baffling – he is calamity in a football shirt.
Arteta needs to deliver this season.
And I won’t even bother with Eddie – all this talk of being a top player becomes meaningless if you cannot deliver on the pitch. Scoring a hat trick against Sheffield United sums him up perfectly – scoring goals against Championship sides is his level..
The issues as they currently stands at Arsenal and concerned Arteta and Edu. Are Arsenal had wanted to sign Moises Caicedo. But instead had to make do with the signing of Jorginho who they signed. After Brighton refused to allow Arsenal sign their Caicedo.
So last summer window, Arsenal freshned up their midfield by signing Karl Harvest and Declan Rice as us all know.
But there were many criticisms of Arteta by the Arsenal fans and football pundits who vehemently were against Arsenal signing him, due to his very average football playing performance show at Chelsea during the pre-signing hin by Arsenal and even afterwards.
But Arteta went on to have hum signed for his his Arsenal team. And also gave him close rigima the former Gunners, Ozil’s and Aubameyang’s very high wage earnings at the club to be earning. As if he’s Makelele. Drogba or Diego Costa in their prime at Chelsea who Arsenal havc signed.
But hopefully, both Havertz and Arteta will quickly turn thighs around as they concerned Havertz’s poor game playoff form in the Arsenal team. To start making his Arsenal signing work and work properly.
But do I see Arteta converting Havertz to former Blues player Obi Mikel’s role at Chelsea? So that he will become a Dmf in the middle of the park for Arsenal intercepting plays and breaking them down. As ubi Michael alongside Matic used to play for Chelsea since Havertz is not a goal scoring midfielder.
To save face, I think Arteta should utilise him in this role which Obi Michael had played in the Chelsea midfield.
Let us also remember that Arsenal has to play Raya for a certain number of matches during this season before the club can activate his signing I think next summer To become permanent
Besides, Raya is a top quality goalie who Arteta wants Arsenal to sign permanently sign for his Arsenal team. Let us Gooners respect Arteta’s decision because he is the club’s manager who calls the shot.
But I am sure he won’t continuing with playing him but gives a break as he has been making some series of goalkeeping errors repeatedly in matches for Arsenal. Which had cost them drop points. For this reason, I think Arteta will start Ramsdale for our home Sevilla Ucl and Luton Epl matches. So that Raya can tale a break to test from the criticisms he’s been subjected to to face. But which are justifiable.
My biggest worry right now is not about Harvetz. In fact the less I think and talk about him the better for my poor nerves!
My real problem is with the form of our star players, particularly Saka and Ødegaard. The duo, and a few others like Martinelli and ZInchenko are nowhere near the levels of last season.
After tying them down to longer and vastly improved contracts, one would naturally have expected them to kick on from where they ended last season and reach new levels this.
I’m just hoping that, like it’s said, form will be temporary and class will show up again.
We need our best players performing at the top levels to push others up as well
The issues as they currently stands at Arsenal and concerned Arteta and Edu. Are Arsenal had wanted to sign Moises Caicedo. But instead had to make do with the signing of Jorginho who they signed. After Brighton refused to allow Arsenal sign their Caicedo.
So last summer window, Arsenal freshned up their midfield by signing Karl Harvest and Declan Rice as us all know.
But there were many criticisms of Arteta by the Arsenal fans and football pundits.a. Who vehemently were against Arsenal signing him, due to his very average football playing performance show at Chelsea during the pre-signing of hin by Arsenal and even afterwards.
But Arteta went on to have hum signed for his Arsenal team. And also gave him close to the former Gunners, Ozil’s and Aubameyang’s very high wage earnings at the club to be earning. As if he’s Makelele. Drogba or Diego Costa in their prime at Chelsea who Arsenal havc signed in Havertz.
But hopefully, both Havertz Arteta and Havertz shod quickly turn thighs around as they concerned Havertz’s poor game playing form in the Arsenal team. To start making his Arsenal signing work and work properly.
But do I see Arteta converting Havertz to former Blues player Obi Mikel’s role at Chelsea? So that he will become a Dmf in the middle of the park for Arsenal intercepting plays and breaking them down. As ubi Michael alongside Matic used to play for Chelsea since Havertz is not a goal scoring midfielder.
To save face, I think Arteta should utilise him in this role which Obi Michael had played in the Chelsea midfield.
Let us also remember that Arsenal has to play Raya for a certain number of matches during this season before the club can activate his signing which I think next summer To become permanent
Besides, Raya is a top quality goalie who Arteta wants Arsenal to sign permanently for his Arsenal team. Let us Gooners respect Arteta’s decision because he is the club’s manager who calls the shot.
But I am sure he won’t continuing with playing him but gives him a break as he has been making some series of goalkeeping errors repeatedly in matches for Arsenal. Which had cost them drop points. For this reason, I think Arteta will start Ramsdale for our home Sevilla Ucl and Luton Epl matches. So that Raya can tale a break to test from the criticisms he’s been subjected to face. But which are justifiable.
We could always feel the loss of Xhaka when he was out of the team so that should have told us how we must get the incoming player right or else Xhaka’s loss could be felt throughout an entire season. I think maybe Partey’s injury is the real cause for concern because Partey Rice Odegaard should be better than last season defensively speaking and a really solid midfield. The money that we spent on Havertz. That money should have brought us in another tough competitor, we were too quick in pulling the trigger I don’t know why we jumped on that one so quickly as I don’t think there were serious bids rivaling us