Well this is certainly a turn up for the books indeed. I know I was the only one that predicted that Granit Xhaka would be staying with us this season, and got severely blasted for suggesting it!
But never in a million years did I think that he would be offered a new contract to take him until 2025….
Granit Xhaka is expected to sign his new contract with Arsenal until June 2025 – final details still to be agreed, Granit open to discuss as he’s not joining AS Roma this summer. ⚪️🔴 #AFC
…and Nemanja Matic is not on Mourinho’s list at AS Roma. No Telles, no Matic. 🇷🇸 #MUFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 3, 2021
My reasoning was that because the 29 year-old still had two years left on his current contract, there was absolutely no need for Arteta to consider selling his most consistent midfielder, and the fact that his wife has just had her second child in London so would not be keen on moving to a new city right now.
I did though believe that we would be selling Xhaka next summer, as Arteta seems keen on building a young side that will stay together for many more years and grow together.
So why are we giving Xhaka a contract that will mean he is 32 years old when it comes to the end of it.
I’m not sure that is such a good idea, do you?
Yes definitely, we shouldn’t forget Kolasinac either.
It’s the only way to continue our strong position in the EPL over the last 2 seasons. Why change a winning formula?
But again, you said something of him the most consistent midfielder. Let’s be realistic. No club will build a new club from nothing. You need a beginning point. Xhaka, granted, is not Fernandinho, neither is he Alonso or Gilberto. But he is Xhaka, the one considered among the best eleven of Euro 2020. That tells you something. Unlike Bellerin, he wants to be at Arsenal and that is key, isn’t it? He is a leader of men and won’t let anyone boss our midfield even if at the cost of a red card. Once you get Lokonga, Tavares, Saka. Willock, Rowe, Martinelli, White, Azeez and Okwonko, you need someone to teach them to fight and defend that Canon, lest the enemy seizes it. Yes, oh yes, if Aubameyang is worth staying, Granite is even overqualified
Spot on
I don’t understand why people make xhaka a scape goat when it could have easily been others but no, it has to be xhaka.
Maybe his success at Euro2020 will feed into his Arsenal performance this season. I expect the same follow up from others that did well in the competition.
The issue for this season is we have no games in European competitions, which means a lot of bench time or sitting out time for many players.
Arteta may spend the season swapping players around to 1) Try new setups/systems, and 2) To give everyone that’s performing well some real game time.
I’m not a big fan of Xhaka, to me his decision making is too slow playing forward, such that gaps close up before he’s passed the ball. Also, he plays sideways or backwards too often when there’s a clear chance of passing to someone in a position to make a run, so he just doesn’t have the vision of some of the young players in our team.
Actually i`m also one of the fans that are out of superlatives in defending Arteta for extending his contract.
But after reading your reasonings, it kinda soothes my mind and I totally agree with you.
Thanks bro. COYG!
Love from Malaysian Gunner!
Lol @Martinellithebench!…winning formula indeed!!…he should just go!
Can’t still forget the middle finger at the emirate,he’s tried now he needs to move on.
Neither can he forget the fans who want his New born baby to have cancer. But he still fight anytime he wears the shirt.
If you can give it, learn how to take it.
Which one is the most painful?
The middle finger or wishing his son cancer?
Xhaka might be an average player but he was still our best midfielder till Partey proves otherwise.
So why selling the best of the bunch and leave the poor ones?
Why not sell AMN, Elneny and Torreira which I know will generate more money and buy Bissouma to compete with Xhaka?
Nothing is guaranteed in football, Bissouma can be a flop or even develop injury like Partey.
Partey is not an injury player but look what he’s become now, same night happen to Bissouma too.
If you’re told Xhaka will outshine Partey last season, will you believe it?
I prefer to have Xhaka and Lonkonga fighting it out with Partey and Bissouma than Elneny, Torreira and AMN fighting it out with them.
And before you mentioned Azeez.
Leave the boy to grow into football cos the position he plays is more delicate than Saka and Martinelli, any small mistake, he will lose his confidence. Xhaka is 28, so Azeez will surely have his chance in no time
So you willingly want to extend the contract of an average midfielder(your own words)? I really can’t understand fans like you.
I support Arsenal over any individual player, therefore I’d prefer Xhak to leave.
FYI No one is using Xhaka as a scapegoat you over sensitive people. Xhaka is one of many who needs to go but the article is about him so that’s what we are discussing. Logical!
Many players “need to go”, whatever that even means. We finished 8th and our players are generally not highly valued after a rough season. Thus literally all we have managed is a few loan deals. Nobody wants to buy our players. As another club, would you pay for kolasinac or elneny? Of course not. We bang on about how many guys suck on this squad and then get mad that other teams who also have brains and eyeballs don’t want them either. Xhaka at least had a willing suitor, but money is tight. Fact is, we cannot buy a top player at every position of need. If we have a decent player who had a good season and excellent Euros, why sell him and have to search for a replacement? We may soon need a RB, clearly need more at CF and GK. And of course CAM, which we know Arteta is desperate for. Nobody is having an easy transfer market this summer. Solving our CM problem internally is smart, bc we have several major moves left to make. You are delusional if you blame Edu for not selling 6 or 7 players literally everyone is saying are terrible.
Given the way the transfer window is going, I don’t see Arsenal having the funds to buy any other quality player without first selling a few. That said, I don’t think Xhaka should be sold just yet, for the sole reason that we have no replacement for him. And on his day, the man can be pretty decent. If he can give us the Euro 2020 version of himself this season, I’d be satisfied.
So yes, I agree. Should we keep Xhaka and possibly extend his contract? Yes
Should the contract extension be an extra four years? Heck no.
If we can tack on another two years, that’s fine. This is mostly to protect his value because he will still be sold, possibly next summer.
PJ-SA, Precisely my whole view. I agree with every word you write , EXCEPT I do not agree XHAKA is EVEN average .
I think him rank poor and totally immobile and that is a grave handicap when what we have badly been missing, ever since he arrived, is midfield fluidity and pace in progessing the ball, FORWARDS, not sideways or back.
IF MA has indeed awarded him a four year new contract I can no longer have any faith in MA that he knows what he is doing.
I simply will not accept this ponderous tortoise staying for another four wasted years He HAS to go. If he does not, them I will no longer back MA. IT IS AS GRAVE A MISTAKE AS THAT, if confirmed as done.
IF THIS HAPPENS, IT IS A DELIBERATE INSULT TO ALL FANS WHO WISH TO REGAIN PACE AND FLUIDITY AND WHO KNOW THAT WITHOUT THOSE THINGS WE CAN NEVER PROGRESS.
If it is just a ploy to make him more valuable for selling when Covid recedes, then it will not work, given his age currently.
This will be the last straw for me, IF confirmed as already happened or about to happen!
love when people use sarcasm to put things into perspective, well done.
Nobody else in the world wanted him for 12mil and we are giving him a new contract! Says it all, no clue, no idea, no plan. We never learn.
He be like a new signing lol .we should fly him to Rome and take the money because he is crap can’t run can’t pass forward and can’t tackle
Absolutely not !!!!
Anyway Kev said it was a done deal to Roma so these are all lies about him signing 😂
🤣🤣🤣
Dan
My stance on xhaka hasn’t changed.
He’s a decent player but prone to a mishap at a important time of the game for us so a good bench warmer but never a starter
I can understand the logic on offering him an extension if we can’t sell him now as he probably has only 2 years left so next year he goes on the very cheap
2 years tops so we can keep the upper hand on transfer fee. I had a taxi waiting for him to take him to the airport 😃
Agree Alan – not a world beater in an Arsenal shirt but has arguably performed better and more consistently then most other midfielders that we still have in the squad, and when selected he really fights for the badge. He has never deserved most of the personal vitriole directed at him, and quite honestly that is why some of us on this site stand up for him more than we would otherwise. How dare he react to abuse, how dare he have passion! We are talking about people, not robots or yes-men. Despite what many infer, he is not the sole cause of Arsenal’s demise, and I place more of the blame for his negative approach at Arteta’s door, as if there’s one person who sticks to a game plan, its Xhaka. No problems with replacing him, but atm we have nobody better.
Two years and as an alternate, not a guaranteed starter.
EVERYONE said it was a done deal!
(Except me…… https://www.justarsenal.com/contrary-to-the-rumours-granit-zhaka-is-not-leaving-arsenal-this-summer/284374 hehehe)
Check out some of those comments lol!)
What was Jon’s opinion on the subject?I missed it.
It’s okay, as long as he can fully focus on Arsenal and minimize his errors/ frustation
There are only 10% left-footed players worldwide and the good ones are rare, so he makes us able to play with various tactics
I guess four years is too long considering he is 28year two years is better; and at most 3 years OK for him. He can also be made one of the captains again. Xhaka has been a Gunner faithful he’s been through loads of criticism by the fans and he is still at the club. If he is made one of the captains with fans support it could help him minimize his errors and focus more.
My opinion.
I don’t think he’d agree on a three-year contract, because Roma would like to offer him a four-year contract. But let’s see what will happen, because he can still leave in this month
May be he may go to another club, It doesn’t look like Roma have money I mean €20 is not too much for Xhaka yet they are stalling.
He is slow and an accident waiting to happen red card ,loose possession and that so often leads to us conceding a goa. If we have to keep him don’t extend for 4 more years.
Xhaka and defenders made a lot of errors because our CF often lost the ball, which led to the opposition’s counter-attacks. They’ll have less pressure if we have a better CF
Only 4 years? Why not 5 with an option to extend for another year with 350k weekly pay. I don’t have anything against Xhaka as a player, in fact I enjoyed watching him each time he plays for his country but epl is not for him so arsenal will be daft to give him an improve contract . If Roma won’t pay our value for him I won’t mind having around on limited role if we can’t find another club to take him from our hands. MA should have allowed him to go when HB came calling.
Is,getting a,reduction in wages? Because he definitely hasn’t earned a pay raise.
Many Barcelona players accepted decreases in wages.
If Xhaka actually got more, I will be furious.
Whatever your opinion of Xhaka as a player (and let’s face it he is the living incarnation of Marmite) the fact is he is only staying (if indeed that turns out to be the case) because Roma will not stump up the asking price.
Xhaka clearly wanted out.
Roma (Maureen) clearly wanted him.
I’m getting so annoyed with all this.
I’m now reduced to a “meet perspective buyers halfway” stance re’ the deadwood we need to clear (although I wouldn’t exactly call G X “deadwood” – just he, and we, need to “move on”).
Yes, clubs take the *iss in some cases, but we need these players off the books in order to move on.
Another “scatter gun” window, with a late night on the 31st 🙁
Mind you Stan’s gonna give M A another 100M apparently 🙂 🙂
Completely agreed with you on not calling Xhaka deadwood part. How many the so call deadwood we let go actually have gone to win to what we fan dreaming about in the past couple of years. A certain lamppost comes to mind recently. We need deep cleaning of our club if we have to win the epl, cl and el and I’m not talking about buying new players and employe new coach all the time. I’m talking about spiritual and cultural cleansing. Everything I’m seeing depicted a club which is living with a curse because every shiny things we touch becomes dull.
Adiva.
Well put points.
Players aside for a minute (who’s up to it & who’s not), you are so right re’ the “spiritual and cultural cleansing”.
For far too long now, the SOUL of our club has gone missing.
Got to disagree about Olli G tho’, rate the man (given the stage of his career).
Notched with his first touch for Milan 🙂
Good, honest, value for money pro’.
What is the rationale for the extension? Do they see Xhaka as a long-term starter? If so, the extension makes sense. Or are they planning to keep Xhaka 1 more year and hoping to increase his sale price? If that is the plan then it is flawed. Even if the overall market improves next summer, there will be little demand for a player nearing 30 on high wages.
Give Xhaka the extension only if you plan to keep him for 4 years.
I say, Give Xhaka the extension only if you plan to keep Arteta for the next four years. It’d make perfect sense.
Granit signing a new contract is because our manager believes in him or does anyone here want to suggest they know football more than Arteta
Hila.
If Roma stumped up – G X was gone.
We shouldn’t sell to Roma either because our midfield will be weak. Unless we get someone better.. I also want granit to take the armband next season
I bet ASL isn’t over the moon Granit’s staying.
We may now look to offload Elneny as one more needs to come into our midfield.
As for the armband, not as outrageous as it may appear – although it didn’t go to plan when he did in fact have the captaincy.
No, I remain of the opinion we are going through a big “kiss & make up” PR exercise now.
Granit was gone, until Jose M could not get Roma to cough up.
Where is Sippie?
looking at the multitude of awful footballing decisions and our decline over the years…. maybe.
I know a lot less about football than the guys who run Barca but I knew the Coutinho deal was a huge mistake. Ditto Griezman.
The logic of your post is that we amateurs should all just shut up because we cannot possibly know as much as the experts.
same here with both those transfers. Not claiming to be guru’s but we are fans who watch thousands of hours of this game. To think we know absolutely nothing about quality of players is dishonest.
Our manager has just two more years left in his contract, same as Xhaka. Now what good is it to give Xhaka a four year contract if the manager who wants him is staying only for the next two years. Won’t this be similar to Ozil, when Wenger gave a three year to Ozil and gone within six months and his successors failed to get the best from Ozil for the next three years?
Give Xhaka the four years, only if Arteta is given the same four years.
No, no and thrice No!!!!!
Where is the sanity in this reported contract?
The one year contract for ANY over 30’s that gazidis scrapped, was the most important thing that the club decided on regarding contracts.
It didn’t stop DB from signing, so why would it stop Xhaka?
Yet another disastrous decision, not because of the player, but because of the short sightedness of our club.
The only difference though is that Granit is 28years and not 30
29 a month into the season. Bottom line, can we survive another 5 years of a midfielder who has been a part of every step in our decline?
RSH, Honest answer is we will survive it – as in the club will not die- but be far worse for doing so. It is a grave and needless mistake that will change my hitherto faith in MA as a decent manager .
IF HE TRULY CANNOT SEE THE VITAL NEED FOR MIDFIELD FLUIDITY AND PACE , which have been sadly lacking whenever Xhaka plays, then he is not the right manager for us. That is my bottom line.
And how old will he be, when the contract ends Bobs?
That’s the point that you seem to have failed to grasp – apart from that, I agree with all you posted above.
KEN, I can see that you too, were also a Frankie Howerd fan! (Thrice No x3 ).
IF we truly HAVE given a four year contract to XHAKA, then I have to fear for the sanity of those in charge.
BUT LETS WAIT AND SEE FOR CERTAIN BEFORE COMMENTING FURTHE.
. I automatically take so called “reports ” with a huge pinch of salt! So often they turn out to be untrue, BUT IF this is true , then well……!
That’s if its true Ken, which is rare this time of year. I don’t mind keeping him as a squad player but 2 years max for me.
NO
We simply can not play Xhaka & Leno in the same team. The communication between them seems to be non existent. One of them has to go & I would make a special offer & through in Bellerin as a buy one get one free offer.
Alan… That is one of the most despicable comment from an arsenal fan
Alan – the communication between Leno and ANY other player is non-existant.
Still hoping it’s a bluff!
When Arteta said ” The squad needs a change” I thought it would be, well, different?
Keeping players we all know are a weekness in the team is not change and it won’t improve the squad. That is why I hope all the talk coming out of Arsenal at the moment are just bluffs to keep the value of the players as high as they can be with a view to being sold!
Still 28 days in the window yet tho.
So could be just transfer poker.
But if Xhaka stays Arsenal will have a very experienced dependable player.
Xhaka’s salary is on a par with Martinelli, Leno, and Kolasinac. Less than Bellerin and Pepe and vastly lower han Lacazette Partey and Auba.
With Partey injury prone and Torreira’s future uncertain Xhaka may just have to stay.
Martinelli joined us on 10k which was improved to 30k. Xhaka can see out his contract if he is on same contract as Martinelli and no fans will complain.
A BIG NO
One thing I learn about MA is that he is repeating things even if it does not work. I can see us start the season with Xhaka and Elneny in the middle if Partey is out injured, it look like we will be back to square one. Ben starting his Arsenal career already under pressure with a weak protection line in front of him.
With your logic, the same can be said if we sell Xhaka and replace him with another player.
It means he will start with New player and Elneny.
Who is more better btw Elneny and Xhaka?
I will let you judge that.
But I pray Arteta start with Lonkonga and Xhaka or he buys another Midfielder and sell Elneny
Hi Bob
Xhaka and Eleny starting the season is not my logic, it how it looks like. If it was up to me I would have got rid of both of them 2 seasons ago. My prefer middle will be Partey, Matteo, Lonkonga and a new signing (a good one). I would have be very happen to start the season with the new signing & Matteo if Partey is not available.
Club has already gone through the tragedy phase and now well on its way to farce with this clown taking a leading role … so far not one of the 6 or 7 members of the squad that needed to be has been offloaded … but hey arteta has a cunning plan and knows what he’s doing!!!
Are you sure this is all on Arteta? Or is the exectution of the plans for the transfer window down to Edu and the guys that help Edu?
Difficult question to answer. IMO our biggest need after last season was to find a better partner for Partey. We did not dominate the midfield the way we should or could. Unfortunately Partey was also often injured and getting used to the PL.
At the moment Xhaka-Partey is probably a stronger pairing than Partey – Elneny. So in absence of a clear improvement of Xhaka, I would prefer keeping him to losing him. Sure he is a bit too slow for the PL but his game is better than Eleney’s in most other aspects (not too difficult).
This of course raises the question why have we not signed a better partner for Partey? Like Bissouma?
If Xhaka stays we have to hope other aspects of our game improve, particularly our creations of chances and our goal scoring.
We also have to hope Lokonga gets in ahead of Elneny on merit.
If we start the season with a pairing of Elneny – Xhaka that would not be too inspiring.
There is still time in the transfer window, but even so it is worrying that we have not addressed our biggest need IMO.
A central defender was not our biggest need IMO. Sure White is good but at £50 he might have been our biggest investment this window.
Partey-Bissouma (or other experienced and fest DM) with Xhaka as back-up works for me.
At the moment our midfield does not look much improved. Particlularly since it seems Lokonga is on the slow track given that he didn’t start against Chlesea.
Xhaka is a good passer and has a cannon of a left foot screamer. When our wingers change and start making quick runs to the dangerous areas. And our striker taking an advanced positioning xhaka will find them
Exactly my point JanV
Even with Xhaka staying I’m still praying we sign a player better than Xhaka to compete with.
Let Lonkonga fight it out with Partey and New DM fight it out with Xhaka.
I’m sure Xhaka won’t run from a competition challenge and if he choose to leave after, it means our new DM has find his foot, and by then Azeez would have grow by a year or two.
A win win situation.
It’s quite simple than you think, JanV.
How many years left in Xhaka’s current contract?
Two.
Is this contract extension done with the current manager’s blessings?
Yes.
How many more years does the current manager is contracted to lead the team?
Two.
Will the current manager extend his stay after two years?
Maybe.
Will the next manager fancy playing Xhaka like the current manager after two years?
Maybe.
With uncertainties regarding the current manager’s future at the club after two years, there is no immediate need to focus on the contract of the player fancied by the manager who already has a contract duration similar to the manager who fancies him.
Xhaka can be handed a four year contract, if Arteta gets the same deal. Else, No. Or leave this on the back burner for a couple of years.
JanV, instead of chasing James Maddison for £70 million, Arsenal should approach Lyon as a “one stop shop” for a package deal for Houssem Aouar (ACM) and Bruno Guimaraes (DM).
Leicester City do not have to sell and can afford to hold Arsenal to ransom. Gifting the money for Maddison (given his injury and disciplinary record), will make Leicester City (a competitor) stronger. However, Lyon are in financial strife and need to sell. These two players are winners with Lyon having won Ligue. 1. Arsenal can pick up both for less than Maddison, with change left over to buy Onana as backup goal keeper and change.
Aouar, Guimaraes and Onana for less than the cost of Maddison would be very good business.
Sambi is the partner for Partey, surely, not Xhaka?
Lol no. As much as I want to like Sambi, Xhaka is definitely better.
Xhaka is a good passer and has a cannon of a left foot screamer. When our wingers change and start making quick runs to the dangerous areas. And our striker taking an advanced positioning xhaka will find them
Shame that cannon is for illustrative purpose only. Wish he could shoot more.
Anyway I support his New contract.
Even if we sell him for 10M next season, that’s 5M different from this season bid to integrate our new signings to the team.
Even if we sign Bissouma, nobody can give 100% assurance on how he will perform.
It would have been worse if we had sell him last season and replace him with Partey. Nobody believes Partey will have such injury.
Yes not a starter in a big team in EPL(A starter in a big team in other league) but a very good bench player to have in a team.
We keyboard specialist are just shouting we want this and that players but I don’t see big clubs going into a war for those players and yet we criticize Xhaka for not having many suitors to fight for his hand.
How many suitors does Bissouma, Locatelli, Koopmeiners has. I don’t see any team fighting tooth and nail because of them.
Even Juve refuse to increase there offer on Locatelli exactly the way Roma did for Xhaka. So what is the fuse about discrediting Xhaka for not having many suitors?
Liverpool lost Wijnaldum and not planing to sign Henderson on new contract, yet they are talking about signing Saul Niguel and not Bissouma or Locatelli.
Man Utd list players to replace Pogba and yet not even Bissouma or Locatelli, even Neves which is the least wanted on JA is still wanted by Man Utd which shows how a keyboard specialist we all are.
Players are not valued by the number of club vying for there signatures.
Robinho and Jorginho both cause a bidding war at Man city and Chelsea
Mikel Obi cause a fight btw Chelsea and Man Utd but all 3 are both average in the EPL.
Cazorla was a better player in EPL than them but nobody was after him except us and he was bought for 15M
Your price money doesn’t show your true value.
De Bruyne was bought for 55M and Pogba for 89M
Kompany for 7M and Kolo Toure for 16M inside same team.
So critize players on his performance on your team and stop criticizing players because he doesn’t generate a bidding war.
Some great points there Bobs. Chapeau.
Agree 100% with you once again BobS…. excellent points that those who crucify Xhaka just don’t want to see.
Well Said bobs. Great points you have made there.
no club bidding for him is a symptom of his lack of quality with respect to basic control of a ball particularly under pressure but not only, his inability to link up with players ahead of him, his lack of desire (linked to the previous) to find spaces to receive ball from team mates, his lack of vision (with admittedly an occassional decent long ball to keep his delusional fan base drooling) and generally poor reading of the game, clumsy tackling resulting in needless fouls, yellow cards and errors which put pressure on team mates .. the man is 28 years old arguably a prime age for his position but he is valued at a third of what we shelved out with or without takers … and a fraction of what it would take to get bissouma (who is overpriced and overrated) or locatelli (who has made it clear where he wants to go) different managers have different needs but it turns out none have a need for xhaka other than arteta which means this footballing clown will be crowding out the quality we desperately need to partner partey .. if he is a regular this season we will yet again fail to make top 6 and struggle to stay in top 8 … we should be giving him away in packet of cornflakes
thanks for providing a far more logical take on the situation RW1, especially considering the nonsensical banter offered up by Bobs et al
Agree with your every word RW1.
RW1 and TRVL
If you have reasons why Xhaka doesn’t cause a bidding war, can you please tell me why nobody bid for Bissouma.
Stop this rumor of a thing.
No bid is made for Bissouma, only fans was wishing for there club to bid for Bissouma but tell me which club place a bid on him till now?
Can it be because he wasn’t good as you fans hype him to be.
Why is no club putting in a bid for Locatelli and why did Juve refuse to meet his valuation?
Can it be because all this players are average and not as good as we hyped them?
You said, everybody know Locatelli heart is fixed on Juve, it means you’ve not been following football to know players got emotional and ignore even the club they love when they find out the club doesn’t fancy them that much.
Ask Griezmann.
Now let me tell you the secret of Fans
No Fans ever knew Ronaldo, Rooney, Messi, Zlatan will reach greater high but coaches does.
They see talent than us keyboard specialist.
You remember M’villa.
Many are hyping Sambi but those coaches sees before you.
How many fans saw Mbappe before Wenger?
So I will advice you to leave the coach to do there job. Afterall, they get the sack when they make mistakes not you.
Complain and critize players and manager about there performance and not the player signed by the coach. He has his reasons for signing play X and refusing player Y.
If we fans are vying for our club to sign 1 player without pressure on us and yet still make mistakes (M’villa, Capoune, Marc Roca, Barça Coutinho etc) then you should give the coach credit for buying players under pressure. They are humans and will still make mistakes.
This doesn’t mean I support Arteta, (thank God most people know I do criticize Arteta’s tactic and styles) but I don’t criticize coach for signing a player cos he saw the player and believe he will make it with him.
If the player don’t perform, the buck stops with him. So what’s the fuse?
I believe he never knew William will be this worse.
Barça never knew Griezmann, Coutinho, Dembele will faulter. Do they?
So to you Xhaka was nonsense and to 8 different coaches(4 at Arsenal, Bayern L coach, Swiss coach, Basel coach and Mourinho) , Xhaka was Good.
So stop giving yourself sleepless night and stop letting Xhaka rent a house free on your head.
What an absolutely ridiculous diatribe…first of all, the other players you mentioned have been linked to several top notch clubs, unlike Xhaka, who had one particular suitor, who just happens to be managed by the ultimate “park the bus” manager…Bissouma has already been linked with Pool, Chelsea and LC, but I would imagine the 40+M ask might be a bridge too far for some, especially if there’s no wiggle room, which seems to be the case considering what we paid for their 3rd best defender…I would bet my left nut though that if he was getable for half of that figure, like Xhaka, teams would be lining up for days…as for Locatelli, if you actually believe that if it weren’t for Juve marking it’s proverbial territory that there wouldn’t be numerous other clubs vying for his services, then you’re even more delusional than your previous posts would suggest…finally, when it comes to Koop, he’s been linked with Inter, Napoli, Sevilla, Ajax and even Pool…there’s a relatively new invention called the internet, so try typing each of their respective names with the keyword “suitors” after and you will see ample talk about all of these players, unlike when you do likewise with a Xhaka search
secondly, your ridiculous cherry-picking exercise regarding the value of players makes no functional sense, in that most of the players you’ve mentioned had no PL experience prior to these bidding wars and/or miscalculations occurring…so how does that relate whatsoever to this Xhaka situation…I know it seemed like a good idea when it first started to percolate in your brain, but in retrospect you simply must see the error of your ways, don’t you???
finally, what kind of ridiculous person would criticize any player based on their ability or lack thereof to generate a bidding war??? now some would suggest, rightly or wrongly, that if a player was performing well he might prompt a bidding war, but of course there are no guarantees…I, for one, have always focused on his underwhelming performances when I’m criticizing him, so I guess I’m good
directed at Bobs, of course
Good stuff Bobs. In a similar vein too many of our fans think the only way to show we are a top club is to spend big bucks on big names. With big names can come big egos, laziness, lack of ambition or commitment to the club. Lesser known players still have drive and ambition.
It’s been such a crazy window, I honestly though GX was gone.. but to be told now he’s a ‘key member of the team’…
4 years does seem rather long, but hey I don’t make the decisions, I just have to go along with it and get behind the team 🙂
He scored a great goal on Sunday – more of the same please!
OT.. Gabi scored his penalty in the shootout and Brazil are through to the final! He’s coming back with a medal 👏
I’m sure if we sign a better DM (won’t name one cos he might be a flop here and I won’t be able to defend him, so I leave it for the coach to choose his own DM) than Xhaka to compete with Xhaka, it will be Break or Make it.
If the competition breaks Xhaka, then I don’t see him staying more than 2years here (He’s a good man at heart and prefer playing football than sitting on salary. He was ready for pay cut before Arteta change his mind) and if he excel, is a win win.
Don’t you think?
But the question now is, will Arsenal sell AMN, Torreira and Elneny to sign a very good DM?
I can’t see anything breaking him, Bobs – he isn’t called Granit for nothing 😄
I believe he’ll still be a regular in the side and will see his contract out…
That is the million dollar question, Bobs!! Right now it’s looking unlikely!
oh sue, i love your positivity. may if soften my heart some day 😂
Problem with him playing abit part for Brazil will be Arteta will say he needs 18months to recover so will probably see Willian playing on the left wing till he’s fit
100% correct Dan 🤣 and fans here always make up some excuse why he’s being legitimately left out.
Only 18 months, Dan?! 😆
Let hope Arteta doesn’t have brain fart this season and think about his job than having stubborn mind to prove his signings were right.
The criticism I gave him last season was too much but I’m fit again and ready to give him another chance.
🤣 RSH…
Not sure about the “changes with the squad” Arteta was going on about in the Spring.
Same 2 strikers, Willian still playing, Same midfield with Xhaka staying (he’s Arteta favorite and guaranteed starter), and only White brought in as defensive starter.
So far, we finished 8th twice with this squad, but now supposed to challenge for top 6?
Teams above & below us upgrade while we have White, 2 backup players, promote some youth, and extend Xhaka?
Extremely underwhelming window so far, but hopefully quality AM and DM will come, fingers crossed.
I really believe if we keep Xhaka then we will hardly improve our coming season. To play at his slow pace with his lack of vision and slow sideways football, it will harm our football. Also he is reckless and that can affect results negatively too. It would be insanity to spend lots of wages and a long contract with Xhaka. Ozil, Willian and Aubameyang show why! We need to move forwards…not backwards.
Xhaka and Elneny to open our season, yet people say to be optimisitic, trust the process, get behind Arteta/edu… Why? What have they done to deserve such blind loyalty? They are creating problem after problem. Willian, now Xhaka will be problems we cannot get rid of for years now. And it’s not even up for debate like Ozil/Auba contracts. This is definitively an awful decision being made
RSH
I agree,that is my biggest concern going into the season.
Same players, same tactics, yet expect different results.
Say White does improve our defense, we still have Xhaka in midfield; he’s poor defensively, slow, not creative, and rarely scores; pathetic transition from midfield to attack.
Some blame Auba and Laca because they don’t score every time they shoot, yet excuse a midfield that doesn’t score or create enough chances for attackers.
agree Durand. Although our strikers have their own problems, they have maybe two good chances a game usually and if they dont score thats it. And no midfielders who can also chip in either. We should’ve been going all out on midfielders this summer and only have Lokonga right now. Unfair to expect him to be a star his first season in England. And i have no problem with getting White, but other places also MUST be addressed.
Think 4-3-3. It’s more fun. Then you’re talking Xhaka Oko and ESR
👍 👍 RSH and Durand, the EPL table doesn’t lie. Two eighth places and the opposition is upgrading their squads, Arsenal is not moving on under performing players or upgrading the midfield, which should be a priority given the lack of goals scored or chances created from midfield.
To believe that nothing needs to change with Arsenal only scoring 55 goals last season, in insane.
At least I have a chance to put Agboola article and TVRL comment into test.
What comment are you referring to HH?
In the Agboola article about Granit importance to the team.
I think it is about the article by AI which stated what Xhaka does in the Arsenal team and your comment in that thread explaining to HH why you think he is not a player who can improve us. I am sorry but I forgot rest of the details.
You are Correct Sid that is the article in question. Agboola explained tactically the importance of Granit and TVRL responded to the challenge to explain tactically why Xhaka does not improve the team.
Sorry, how could I forget…of course, I stand by my rather lengthy statement, made back in late July…please keep in mind, that so long as our tactics remain abhorrently stale and unimaginably gutless, Xhaka will sadly continue to be a centerpiece figure…that doesn’t mean whatsoever that it justifies his continued presence on the pitch come gameday
no matter what our present manager tries to spin to the fanbase, Xhaka was out the door if anyone offered up anything even close to their desired fee, which clearly overestimated the value of this tactically and League-dependent player…furthermore, for those who dare claim that the saving grace of this equation is that at least the player in question wants to stay in North London, they’ve obviously forgotten his smarmy comments regarding Rome at the Euros, his middle finger salute and the fact that he performed more magic in a 20 minute period for his national squad than he’s displayed in our kit for the last half decade
for a full list of his obvious deficiencies and the potential negative ramifications of retaining his services feel free to look below at a very concise post by RF
No way in Ga Ga land does xhaka improve our team at all.
A 4-year contract to Xhaka essentially means:
– 4 more years of slow, lazy build-up play;
– 4 more years of shirt-pulling and clumsy fouls in our midfield from lack of speed and athletic ability;
– 4 more years of lost opportunity to our young, creative midfielders;
– 4 more years of fan-frustrations with the strategic direction of the club;
– 4 more years of a player with a good heart (I must admit) but clearly not suited to the league.
DON’T TRUST THE PROCESS.
Darn it RF – you’ve listed the negatives so clearly that I’m struggling to even stick to my “two yours but only as a rotational starter” option!
My only defence for him is that I think he plays negatively because that’s how Arteta wants him to play – a said indictment of Arteta but even though he’s not suited to the EPL he WOULD play a lot more positively if allowed.
4 years is too long and likely to face similar issues as Auba , Willin & Ozil. Having said that , so far Xhaka seems to always play for the team & give his 100%. He may make some mistakes but always fighting & giving his best unlike Auba who changed into a after a different player immediately after signing new contract.
Definitely not, not unless it is on reduced wages. He is slow and laborious at 29, god knows how slow and cumbersome he will be at 32. It would be another backwards step giving xhaka another contract. Welcome to midtable obscurity Arsenal!
To the question whether granit xhaka deserves a new contract, I have a question to answer the question. who was Arsenal best defensive midfielder last season? if any midfielder was better than him last season then why are we selling him in the first place. I observe some Arsenal fans support players base on name, there are three players in our team that some Arsenal fans will never support no matter what they do right Rob holding, chamber and granit xhaka. I’ve seen many Arsenal fans ask this question, who is going to be a partner to Thomas partey none of them talk about his Partey injury concern. Don’t get me wrong I like Thomas party but his injury concern is a big negative, Xhaka may not be the best but he’s one of our best in the midfield and he has proved that in the last euro tournament let Sambi compete with him first before selling him , if the new players do well then let him go. because transfer market is a risky we shouldn’t throw away our good player the way we did in the past so that we will not regret it later. If any player is to leave in our midfield it should be a Eleny not Xhaka.
But the question is (with pros and cons considered) is he worth four extra years contract?
True Adeyami – for me too he was our best DM. But that’s because we have a poor squad, not because Xhaka is right for us, because the EPL doesnt suit his style. We CAN get a player more suited to how we all want Arsenal to play, but until that time he’s still our best option.
dear,oh,dear, i am not sure if i should believe this or not . in my opinion, xhaka is not suited to our team,and,never was.i have never been a fan, so , this comes as a surprise to me .this is exactly why i am still uncertain about arteta being the right manager to take us forward, some of his decisions are baffling.with xhaka in our midfield i do not see any improvement in our performance and placing in the premier league. i can only hope that this is all made up, for some reason.
But the question is, is he good enough for top 4 and the answer is, NO because since he has been here we have failed miserably and he is still here and we are still failing miserably. So Why on earth are we giving him a better contract? Lack of ambition?
Since Tierney has been in Arsenal we have been even worse, does that mean Tierney is the cause of it?
I don’t get it when everybody accept that Xhaka was our best midfielder last season even with Partey in the team and yet the first to leave the team is him?
I get it when people said, Xhaka was only in the team just because he’s the best of the bunch but the question is, why not sell the bunch, keep Xhaka and buy a better player than him for competition so that the New signing won’t be complacent?
You remember us selling the likes of Nasri, Fabregas and Hleb while we keep the likes of Ramsey and co? We bought a good midfielder in Cazorla but start from point zero when he got injured.
So you guys want us to sell Xhaka and buy Bissouma. What if Bissouma and Partey got injured? We then go far worst to Lonkonga and Elneny combination, instead of Lonkonga and Xhaka?
I believe this is no more of Xhaka performance but the hatred that has eat most of you up just because of the tantrum he pulled during Palace’s game.
You guys need to let the past behind you so you won’t die having Xhaka issue on your head.
There are many things that made the word go round than football and Xhaka.
If Arteta gets the same four years like Xhaka, YES.
Else, NO.
Both, Xhaka and Arteta, have the same two years remaining in their respective contracts with us. Adding two more years isn’t gonna skyrocket Xhaka’s valuation this summer or the next. If there’s no guarantee of Arteta remaining at Arsenal after two years, why keep a player beyond the duration of the manager who fancies him now? Maybe the next manager won’t fancy playing Xhaka, like it happened with Ozil. So, unless Arteta’s stay is secured for the next four seasons, there is no point in extending Xhaka’s by four years now.
Four more years of Granit Xhaka is an eternity. What have we done to deserve this. A curse on Arsene Wegner for bringing him to the club. As Fraser from Dad’s Army would have moaned in his best Scottish brogue, ” We’re Dooomed!”. ( to mediocrity) My daughter who is a die hard Roma fan has just renewed her cable subscription to their games on hearing that Xhaka will not be going there after all. Lucky them.
With regards to squad continuity and experience to back up the youngsters is maybe why MA is doing this! Do I think its a good idea………………..No. He’s been the lynchpin in a midfield that struggled to make 8th. I’ve seen slugs in the garden with more pace than Xhaka and Elneny. MA rates him highly so I’ll be interested to see if there’s an improvement in his performance this season, fingers crossed!
Mmmm Resolutely ‘No’
Even though he has the heart of a lion and always gives 100% (which some could learn from) he is
Slow, liable to do something stupid and not that gifted at football.
There are better players out there in his position but MAs strategy is mainly slow and defensive so he suits and let’s face it no one probably came in and threw the right amount of green on the table.
All very mediocre
OMG! Arsenal cause more hallucinations than magic mushrooms. Four more years of Xhaka…arghhh. What have Arsenal and all the supporters done to deserve this? The Emirates should be declared a lunatic asylum.
Possibly the most bizarre final sentence I’ve read on JA … otherwise your response is what political analysts call the “dead cat strategy” let’s not talk about how hopeless xhaka is and instead why no one has bid for bissouma … don’t know and don’t really care as I’m not a fan but it’s beside the point … xhaka is an albatross round the neck of our midfield and has been as our last 3 managers have played him regularly and taken us down to mid table mediocrity in the process so I don’t think their opinion of xhaka is some gold plated measure of his talents .. on the contrary … xhaka goes we have a chance to
Improve in a critical area where we are in desperate need of quality upgrade he stays and we will continue to languish … it’s that simple really
Oops .. that was a response to mr bobs
The Xhaka deal. I don’t understand it at all. I feel we need a complete midfield overhaul.
We need to move from a slow midfield that can’t keep the ball to a more efficient one with pace and consistency.
One thing I like about Xhaka though is he hardly gets injured. He can play at left back a times.
We should offer him a contract of 2 years.