The Rejuvenation of Granit Xhaka
Granit Xhaka - In the world of football and definitely the Premier League, few players have split the fans as much as this player. Having joined Arsenal six years ago in June 2016, few players have divided opinion as much as he. Marmite in the Premier League, there are those that love him; at one point there were many more who hated him.
Once the young captain of Borussia Monchengladbach, Xhaka's arrival at The Emirates went somewhat unnoticed by many. Arsene Wenger, however, believed in the Switzerland international and gave him opportunities from the start, and remarkably, each manager since the great Frenchman has followed suit.
Unai Emery loved him and Mikel Arteta followed his compatriot. The latter even convinced Xhaka to stay at a time where it looked like the door had firmly closed on his career in north London.
After a string of poor performances, it appeared that the Crystal Palace game in October 2019 was the breaking point; at least for Xhaka. As his number came up on the substitution board, the crowd responded with raucous booing, something that was too much for the already hot-headed midfielder to deal with.
He cupped his ears, whilst shouting profanities at the home support before taking off his shirt and launching it to the floor. This all happened under the disheartening gaze of the already defeated boss Emery.
The incident promptly led to Xhaka being stripped of the captain's armband and a series of further outbursts by both fans and the Swiss alike. The former captain quickly took to social media to "justify" his actions as being the end result of months of abuse against him and, more sinisterly, his wife and young daughter.
Despite this heartfelt apology on social media, Arsenal fans were not quick to forgive the temperamental midfielder. His future as an Arsenal player looked in tatters.
He'd lost the support of the fans entirely, and pundits and commentators had labeled him a disgrace to the game. Manchester United legend Patrice Evra once quoted Arsenal legend and compatriot Theirry Henry as below: (via Eurosport):
"Thierry Henry, one day he invited me to his house to watch Arsenal. He turned on the TV, the first image he saw on the screen was Granit Xhaka leading out Arsenal and Henry turned off the TV.
"I asked what happened. He said, 'I can't watch my team and Xhaka being the captain.
“And we didn’t watch the game and that tells you what the legends of Arsenal think about Xhaka.”
Things looked bleak and the apparent solution to this appeared to be an imminent transfer to Jose Mourinho's Roma. According to Xhaka himself, in a rare yet heartfeltly honest interview, he declared that his bags were packed and his passport was ready.
"My bags were packed. The passports were out. I was done with Arsenal. Finished. There was a contract on the table from another club, and all I had to do was sign."
The arrival of current manager Arteta was the catalyst in changing his mind and keeping him at The Emirates. Arteta's renewed faith in the Switzerland captain gave him the encouragement and support he so clearly needed, and with that Xhaka rose from the ashes.
During Arteta's tenure so far, there have been repetitions in the lack of discipline he has shown throughout his career. Red cards against Manchester City and Liverpool highlighted his inability at times to control himself or read the game.
Many put that down to a lack of speed. Others say he is covering for wandering players. Maybe it was just the way he was, 'was' being the important word here.
The Redemption and Resurection of Xhaka
In the ongoing season and towards the end of last season, Xhaka showed the fans why he was lauded so highly by Wenger. Passion, leadership, and a tireless work ethic, now combined with controlled and mature composure, have made him a stand-out player. He has proved to be a vital member of the Arsenal family.
Goals against Manchester United last season, as well as strikes against Leicester and Tottenham Hotspur, have ignited something new inside him. Arteta has given him more freedom to move forward and support the attacks. Thomas Partey's tendency to stay back and help the defense has helped the Swiss get more adventurous.
It is already his best scoring campaign since 2018-19 and his best return for assists since the 2017-18 season after only eight matches. He has also created a number of chances, particularly for Gabriel Jesus, with the two linking up more than any other player for the Gunners.
As one of the longest standing and oldest players in the team, he has shown his true leadership skills both with and without the armband. He has also encouraged and motivated this already young squad to push to their limits.
One could say his crowning glory hasn't been goals or assists, but the forgiveness from the fans, which has been remarkable. It was the first time in his north London career that the Arsenal faithful sang his name after the 0-3 win over Brentford. Xhaka expressed elation over the supporters' cheers and said:
“It’s a very, very special day for me. To hear what happened, [for you] to sing the song for me. Thank you.”
He was recently voted 'Player of the Month' by the Gunners for September 2022, a testament to his resurection in the red and white shirt.
Granit Xhaka has registered more touches in the opposition penalty area (30) than Son Heung-Min (27) in the Premier League this season
👀 Granit Xhaka has registered more touches in the opposition penalty area (30) than Son Heung-Min (27) in the Premier League this season https://t.co/qGhiulgQu0
There is a great deal of hope amongst the fans that this form will continue and that after six years, the 30-year-old is the man they can get behind. A true leader on and off the pitch, this season looks bright for a player who could so easily be playing in Serie A without the timely intervention of Mikel Arteta.