After finally ending their winless streak against Manchester United on New Year’s day, there was another bit of good news for the club as Mikel Arteta revealed an update on Granit Xhaka’s future.
Speaking after the game, manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that Granit Xhaka is likely to continue his stay at the club. According to Metro, Arteta said:
“Granit? I think he’s going to stay, yes.”
This is good news for both club and the player as it comes on the back of another promising display by the Swiss. His passing and positional awareness was key in giving the Gunners some control in the midfield over United.
It has been a turbulent few months for the midfielder as he clashed with the fans which led to him being stripped of the captaincy. But it is a testament to his character and ability that he has been able to come back and put in some strong impressive shifts in the center of the park.
This was shown by Arteta’s comments on Xhaka after the game. He commented on the player saying:
“Very good. I really like him. I think the way we want to play, we get him on board, he can be a tremendous player for the football club.”
The Swiss missed the game against Chelsea due to an illness and Arteta would have been happy to see him back in the team. Now that the manager has his first win, he will be looking to kick on and get the Gunners where they want to be.
And for this to happen, it is important to have players such as Xhaka who will let you control a game. His partnership with Lucas Torreira is going to be crucial for whatever Arsenal are going to achieve this season.
It is reassuring the way in which Xhaka’s future has been spoken about. He has been one of the unsung members of the squad since he came to the Emirates in the summer of 2016.
If he can put the episode with the fans behind him and play like he did on Wednesday, it will be a big boost for the North London club in their quest to return to the Champions League.
