Despite looking likely to leave North London this summer, Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka now appears to be staying at Arsenal.
Granit Xhaka Set to Stay at Arsenal Despite Links With Move Away
Mikel Arteta Confirms Roma Move is Off
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Granit Xhaka’s proposed move to Roma is off. In fact, he expects the Swiss star to be a “key member” of the team this season.
Speaking after his side’s pre-season loss against Chelsea on Sunday, he said: “Granit is going to stay with us. He is a player who we rate and value so much. He’s a key member of our squad. He wanted to play today and I think it’s clear commitment from his side that he wants to be here.”
Xhaka seemed destined to link up with Jose Mourinho at Roma. However, reports started to circulate from last week that Xhaka was actually being offered a new contract at Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s comments should put an end to those rumours now.
Arsenal Need Xhaka
With Thomas Partey looking likely to miss the start of the season, Arsenal desperately need Granit Xhaka to stay. In fact, even with him onboard, the Arsenal midfield looks rather light.
New signing Albert Sambi Lokonga and the veteran Mohamed Elneny are the only options available. Mikel Arteta’s men have a tough start to the season with matches against Chelsea and Manchester City coming up within the first three weeks of the season.
Even though many Arsenal fans wanted Xhaka to leave, circumstances now mean that they have to pin their hopes on the Swiss midfielder to perform well this season. Unless Thomas Partey is out for a very long time, it appears unlikely that Arsenal will buy a new midfielder.
Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Callum Chambers could also play in midfield. So, Xhaka will probably once again be a fixture in the Arsenal midfield.
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