Granit Xhaka has aimed a sly dig at Arsenal as he closes in on a move to AS Roma.
The Swiss midfielder is the subject of interest from Jose Mourinho’s new club ahead of the next campaign.
He is one of the important players at Arsenal, but the Gunners are prepared to allow him to leave for a fee.
Sun Sports reports that he is set to move to the Serie A club for £17 million.
That fee is less than Arsenal paid to Borussia Monchengladbach for his signature in 2016, but it would provide them with some funds to add new players to their squad.
The midfielder is an inconsistent player and his poor displays saw him fall out with the Arsenal fans in 2019.
He almost left the Emirates at the start of last year, but Mikel Arteta convinced him to stay with the Gunners for another season.
As he closes in on a transfer away, he has now spoken about last season at the Emirates.
He insisted that he did well on an individual level, but suggests he could do better with more quality teammates.
He said via Sun Sports: “Football is a team sport and you’re only as good as your team.
“Of course, it was a good year for me personally. I’ve always played and performed.
“But the place at the end of the season is, of course, really bitter and disappointing for us.
“There were certainly a number of issues that didn’t go optimally, but there is now no point in looking back.”
He is the main weak link in arsenal and yet he has the cheek to talk about better team mates. A big clown joining another joker manager in Italy hahaha
Funny how people don’t realize that we played much much worse when we were lacking Xhaka in the midfield. I’m not his biggest fan, but he had a good season and he provides balance to the team. As Mourinho said, you would need to lend his eyes to see his real worth.
I’m sad he is leaving but it is an inevitable conclusion to a troubled spell.
which is exactly why he is being sold, right?
Thanks for the idiotic red cards and mistakes, lack of PACs and tracking back and the Palace game business. Good riddance to the German/Swiss/Balkans/Turkish clique…more or less all gone now. Wenger thought he was the solution but asked the wrong question.
Get over yourselves, he’s only telling the truth.
True, of course. But he is a part of that truth.
That’s what he said. He had a good season, but it’s worth nothing if the entire team didn’t perform.
I really do hope this player leaves Arsenal. Despite all the blurbs to the contrary, he is inconsistent, not particularly creative and in general a very disappointing purchase from a few years back. His arrogance with the crowd a couple of seasons back (I was there at the game in question) was really uncalled for. Sure he got the bird when substituted but we paying supporters, loyal and true Arsenal fans, didn’t deserve to be sworn at or see Xhaka tear off his Arsenal shirt and fling it to the ground. He’s supposed to be a professional! The jeers really started off when he took so much time and sulkily made his way so slowly off the field when he was subbed by Unai. I was disappointed he wasn’t offloaded soon after that incident when it seemed he was quite prepared to leave. Not much loyalty and no apology after that incident. I wish he’d gone then.
Further I couldn’t believe he’d made an EPL player of the year and made the pundits “all select side” for last season. Cash in on him now for whatever we can get for him – please. And save 100 Grand a week whilst we are at it.
Of we want to become successful and challengers again we will need better and more committed players than him.
Nothing personal Granit. Good luck with your NEW club.
Xhaka is inconsistent, true.. but there are games I’ve watched without him in the team and it’s been some of the most depressing stuff I’ve had to watch.. I’m also confused..fans insult a man and his family, because they’re paying for tickets.. instead of criticising his failures, they attack the man and his family..and because he’s human, he snaps and stands up to them.. the fans then go into full blown meltdown (how dare he?).. so, who of the 2 parties is the arrogant one? The ones that insult continuously and expect their target to take it all in and smile back like some Buddha? Or the target that talks back because lines have been crossed? Please help me understand..
I don’t know why pple hate this man so much. Believe it or not he had one of his best seasons. Fans trying to push him out forgetting Arsenal may not even buy someone better than him. You’re dreaming if you think Arsenal will pay 40, 50m for a better midfielder. He played better along side Partey. So you rather keep Eleny and sell Xhaka?
Let him go… use the funds to sign Bissouma with the £17-£20m thatll come with his sale to Roma.
Get Torreira sold to make up for what we spend for £15m or so, can do both jobs of what Xhaka &Lucas can do individually each on their own.
Is Neves coming? How much is he going to cost and do we need him? Read rumours about Van Beek from United? That’s an interesting one tbh.
Fans have been difficult to him but attacking teammates while leaving is very low to be honest.
you know what is low? attacking the children of a professional football player.. i dont think what xhaka did here was low at all
👏
Thank you.. and there are fans out there that want him to apologise for having enough.. and they call him the arrogant one 🤦
Jeez, even Bukayo Saka who has a really good season remains grounded.
On what basis he thinks that he always performed? He lost one on one with a certain Villareal player that cost us a place in the final. He scored an own goal that will definitely go down in history as one of the dumbest.
The reason he made fewer mistakes is the tactical alteration made by the coaches. He is only tasked with supplying the overlapping full-back and covering the vacated space. The tactic is dumbed down so a simpleton like him understands. Even with basic responsibilities like that he proves time and time again that he’s a failure. Good riddance.
xhaka own goal when?
Preach 350…like I’ve said all along, the rudimentary tactical philosophy was largely predicated on his limited skills for some peculiar and yet to be explained reason…if I had to hazard a guess, it was likely due to Xhaka’s predominant role in the locker room, as KC spoke of yesterday, which Arteta needed to acquiesce to as a result of his inexperience and obvious fear of loosening the reigns, just in case we conceded more goals and he lost his largely fictitious “defensive improvement” narrative
Why doesn’t anyone attack the coach for continuously selecting him ?
I think because all the coaches selected him, because he legitimately was our best option. People instead attack Arteta for not selling and replacing Xhaka last season, which makes sense. Should have happened long before Arteta got here tbh.
I think it was Bill Shankly who said “a team is only as good as its weakest link”. I think it’s fair to say that at times Xhaka was that “link” but not in the season past which was probably his best during his time at Arsenal. While I will not be saddened by his departure, I hope he does well with Roma.
Very gracious, Grandad
Sue P AT ANY PRICE, I WILL BE COMPLETELY HONEST AND THEREFORE SAY I CARE NOTHING ABOUT HOW XHAKA DOES AT ROME. JUST THRILLED HE IS LEAVIING US.
No humbug from me, just the whole truth. I never liked him or his play while with us so am certainly not going to pretend to wish him well now he is seemingly leaving.
I don’t wish him ill; just that I care nothing either way.
It would be amazing to think if this was his best season – he was as bad as anyone else for the first half of it. I think people are only thinking of the second half of the season when making that assessment (and even then I don’t think it was anything to write home about).
he is certainly right. How you ask? look at auba numbers at dortmund and at arsenal.so many like that. But i hope the team does better without him new signing or not.my dream CM is prime carzola. Lol
I am glad this guy is finally leaving… Slow , Predictable , arrogant and error prone. I ve been saying for years that we were never going anywhere with such a mediocre player . I am used to the likes of Vieira , Petit , Gilberto, Cazorla , players that would link defense and attack so quick … if we can get Bissouma and Neves , Things Will look a lot more interesting at Arsenal… Xhaka was Always a joke !
That’s the problem. We may not get those players even though they are available right now. Hence xhaka is still our best option. Bissouma what a player. With Partey our midfield will be hard to beat.
Xhaka is right. If we have many below average players we don’t expect to perform like a world class team.
Examples include Bellerin, Pepe, Elneny, Nketiah. Just to name but a few. Our fans too are very toxic and un appreciative. They feel entitled but can’t kick a ball themselves.
Conclusion: Xhaka is our utility player and i would like him to stay all day everyday. If he goes to Roma i wish him the best time of football his career.
Xhaka is a Donkey and the player most to blame for failure is him. Absolutely useless and underwhelming for is and a total waste of space. Bye Bye!
This is the great leader huh? Never saw him do anything to get his teammates going and he’s left believing he did a great job for us. This is the kind of delusion that’s caused us to drop from being a top side. I suspect there are others in the squad with a similar mind set – passing the buck.