"He gave that balance" – Kieran Gibbs says Arsenal shouldn't have sold £22 million star after Newcastle United defeat
Kieran Gibbs has stated that Arsenal should have avoided offloading Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer following the Gunners' recent 1-0 league loss at Newcastle United.
The Gunners, who missed out on the Premier League title by five points past term, crashed to their first league defeat of the ongoing season this Saturday (November 4). Anthony Gordon netted the controversial decisive goal in the 64th minute of the clash at the St. James' Park.
Speaking to ESPN, Gibbs opined on Arsenal's performance in their recent Premier League contest. Mentioning Xhaka, he said (h/t HITC):
"I think the absence of Xhaka has actually [caused their attack not to be fluid]. He probably had his best season last season, let's be honest, after a long spell at the club. I don't think he was underrated last season. I think he was appreciated more for what he was doing."
Gibbs, who represented the north London outfit in 230 matches, said:
"He calmed down his antics with his fouls and stuff. He just cleaned up a lot of his game. I felt he was a really good link. He gave that balance, especially when [Oleksandr] Zinchenko came in last season and started to play inverted, it gave Xhaka a bit of a different role."
Claiming that Xhaka's absence is a problem for Arsenal, Gibbs added:
"I do think it is having a bigger effect on the team than most people think. I do think it's a problem. I think [Mikel] Arteta wanted [Kai] Havertz to fill that role. It hasn't worked out so far. It's still early enough in the season and it's something he is going to look at."
Xhaka, 31, left the Gunners to join Bayer Leverkusen for around £22 million earlier this summer. He has helped his current club sit atop the Bundesliga table, making 15 appearances across competitions so far.
Piers Morgan highlights Arsenal 'farce' after Gunners' first league loss of the campaign
Taking to X, British broadcaster Piers Morgan pointed fingers at Gunners manager Mikel Arteta's decision to persist with Kai Havertz after the 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United. He wrote:
"VAR was MoM for Newcastle, but we deserved to lose. Arsenal were dreadful. Only [Declan] Rice, again, deserves any praise. So long as we have no proper striker, and Arteta persists in this ridiculous Havertz farce, we won’t win the League."
Havertz, 24, has struggled to impress at Arsenal since departing Chelsea in a deal worth up to £65 million earlier this July. He has registered one goal and one assist in 17 appearances so far this campaign.
The Gunners, meanwhile, are third in the 2023-24 Premier League standings with 24 points from 11 matches, three points off top place.