One of the first things that Mikel Arteta did when he became the manager of Arsenal was to mend the relationship between Granit Xhaka and the club’s fans.
The midfielder had fallen out with the supporters towards the end of 2019 under the management of Unai Emery.
He was stripped of the club’s captaincy and everything pointed towards him leaving the club in the last January transfer window.
When Arteta became the club’s manager, he had to decide if the midfielder featured in his plans.
He determined that he wanted the midfielder to stay and Xhaka has been a key member of the Arsenal first team ever since.
The former Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder, however, offers nothing to the club, according to Tony Cascarino.
He says he wonders why Arteta still fields the Swiss player because he doesn’t contribute anything meaningful in their matches.
In his scathing assessment of the midfielder, he also says he just commits lots of fouls and makes simple passes.
‘We heard so much about how Arteta had revitalised Xhaka after the midfielder’s falling-out with fans but the only thing he does better nowadays is not shoot wastefully from 40 yards,’ Cascarino told The Times.
‘He does little more than get the ball off the back four and make a simple pass, and commit lots of fouls.
‘He seems incapable of making a challenge without conceding a free-kick. Yet Arteta continues to pick him.’