Should Xhaka Be Allowed Paternity Leave?

Should Xhaka Be Allowed Paternity Leave? By Dan Smith

Does anyone else see the irony of some gooners giving Xhaka a hard time for considering taking a few weeks off for the birth of his first child? Some of our fans have done nothing but ridicule this man, made him a scapegoat, even verbally abused him and his wife, yet now wonder why he might put his family first?

Suddenly with Torreria potentially injured, you want the Swiss international to play because it suits your agenda, maybe if we had treated him better, he be more flexible in his thought process?

But like many didn’t care that a Carl Jenkinson or Mustafi wanted to stay, you can’t demand loyalty when it suits. The argument of course is this is someone who earns thousands a week yet it’s an old one. Of course, you can’t justify the salaries sports people or movie stars are on but that doesn’t take away the fact that they are human.

Jessie Lingard was sent home the other day with a sickness bug but will get paid regardless, the average person in the street would get basic sick pay.

It doesn’t change that Xhaka is about to experience one of the biggest blessings in the world and if he feels he needs time away to support his wife, if that’s the most comfortable way for them during this process, then that’s their business.

As I wrote many times we have a problem in this country of people who go to stadiums every week and struggle with the concept of it’s a beautiful game but still just that ….. a game. The results of Arsenal should not be considered more important than the health of a new-born.

There’s a reason it was made lawful for men to have the option of paternity leave. When that legislation was written, it said nothing about it being based on how much you earn. That’s because everyone has a human right.

Some gooners should remember that?

29 Comments

  1. Not sure if and how Xhaka has an influence on the health of his newborn baby?

    But I think he should be given whatever he has a legal right to and not be criticized for exercising his rights.

    In fact, if I were a manager (and thank god I am not 😉 I would give the lad a leave till the end of the season.

  2. I have a dentist appointment on the day of the Notts Forest game.Could I ask for the match to be put back a few weeks when it would be more convenient for me to attend.Thank you

    1. Oh dear Phil the Forest boys will be after you for calling them Notts as that abbreviation only applies to County ???

    1. @sean people do not have duplicate brains so criticizing the manager for not selecting the players you would like is not right.emery was hired to do the job and he will take responsibility if he fails to meet the targets set for him,stop being aLWAYS toxic

      1. @councel
        I praise when praise is due, and critique when critique is due. You obviously have selective choice. The whole point of this forum is to do exactly what we do. People have valid criticism and this thread, this forum, is the place to be able to voice it. I have spent many days giving positive adjectives about Guendouzi, Torreira, Willock, Cellebos. What I write is sincerely felt. Xhaka is not good enough. That’s to you.

  3. Of course

    If I’m not mistaken, Ramsey was allowed to skip a match when his wife was due to give birth

    It’s not like Xhaka is irreplacable as well. His forward pass stats look dazzling, but he never made any great through ball since last season

  4. Dan Smith, the problem is not the paternity leave, no one care if Xhaka wants to breastfeed his baby or whatever. The real problem is he made mistakes on a consistent basis and it has been costly.
    At the start of the season I was neutral on Xhaka, but that clumsy tackle made me realize he is essentially Mustafi doppelganger positioned higher up the pitch.

  5. Paternity leave is a right in the uk- it doesn’t matter what job you do or how much you earn. He should only be paid £140 per week up to 2 weeks that period. If he wants to take it then it’s up to him, he’s entitled to it, we aren’t “letting him”

  6. Congrats to the Xhakas. No probs, he can take few weeks off. I believe we’ll all be happy. Hopefully Emery will get a right and permanent team before and if he comes back

  7. If only Emery gets pregnant with wisdom and delivers some decent Football. There would be no complaints about players and their performances.

  8. Xhaka should please take as much paternity leave he needs, we’ll be fine. Haven’t some of us started forgetting who Ozil is when we suggest line ups? He has been proven to be an unwanted luxury but not a necessity. I foresee the same happening to our “captain”.

  9. It’s his entitlement so, he can go. Maybe it’ll be an opportunity for us to see Chambers play as a DM. He did well in that role, at Fulham.

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