Arsenal are prepared to listen to offers for central midfielder Granit Xhaka this summer, according to The Daily Mail
It is claimed that Xhaka, along with Kieran Tierney and Folarin Balogun, could be made available for transfer as Mikel Arteta looks to raise funds for incomings ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. football.london understands that Arteta is keen to bolster his midfield options at the end of the season and West Ham United captain Declan Rice is the Spaniard's primary target for the summer window.
Rice would be an excellent addition at the Emirates Stadium but allowing Xhaka to depart doesn't make any sense for the Gunners and here's why.
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Physical qualities
Xhaka is a nailed-on starter for a multitude of reasons. His passing ability helps his side progress the ball at an elite rate, ranking 14th in the Premier League for progressive passes per 90 minutes this term, as per fbref.
But one of the Swiss international's underrated qualities comes off the ball. Arteta often highlights the importance of winning your duels, coming out on top in second balls and 50-50s, things that Xhaka does to an elite level.
The experienced midfielder missed out on the match against Southampton earlier this month due to illness and his absence was felt. There was a clear hole in the team, with the Gunners struggling in transition and eventually drawing 3-3.
That was just the second time that Xhaka hadn't started a Premier League match this season. The other was at home to Bournemouth, a match that they won 3-2 thanks to Reiss Nelson's injury-time heroics.
The 30-year-old was a big miss on that day too, the midfield seemed to lack his presence as Fabio Vieira, who also started against Southampton, failed to replicate the duel-winning qualities of his predecessor. It began to become clear that Xhaka's ability to throw himself around was perhaps more important than fans had previously thought.
Last week's 4-1 loss to Manchester City was a bitter pill to swallow but if Arsenal learnt anything from that game it was that players' physical qualities cannot be underestimated, even the footballing idealist that is Pep Guardiola doesn't try and hide this.
Improvement this season
It is rare for players to make considerable improvements to their game at the age of 30 but that is exactly what Xhaka did this season. He often was deployed in a deeper midfield role, beside Thomas Partey in a pivot or staying back in possession to give overlapping left-back Kieran Tierney the chance to roam forward.
But he has become much more of an attack-minded no.8 this term. Speaking to Sky Sports about Xhaka's evolution earlier this season Arteta said: “I think it was a necessity. The squad wanted to evolve to another level and be more dominant and have more resources in the final third to attack and to score more goals. We needed to make that change.
“I spoke to him at the end of the season and said, ‘I need to unlock something in your brain because you’re so comfortable and confident playing in this area that you have forgot that actually what is going to win us the game is here and the team now demands somebody here, so unless you unlock that I’m going to have to do something about it’.
“He took it straight away. He’s a very intelligent player, he came to pre-season fitter than ever, slimmer than ever. And he knew that if we wanted to take the team to a different level we had to change his role. He knew that was coming.”
Xhaka has netted five Premier League goals this term and provided a further five assists, totalling his direct league goal involvements at 10 - by far his most in an Arsenal shirt. The fact that he has taken to this role so well shows that he can improve even more in other areas despite his age.
In fact, he is often criticised for his temper but this season he hasn't picked up any suspensions at all.
Leadership ability
Xhaka has been criticised in the past for calling out his teammates publicly. Last season when the Gunners lost 2-0 to Newcastle United, throwing away their chance of securing a top-four finish, the Swiss captain came out and claimed that perhaps the moment was too big for some players in the squad.
The likes of Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were quick to berate him for this but it seemed to help light a fire under some players. Xhaka isn't afraid to speak his mind and this is exactly the kind of quality the two Sky Sports pundits, particularly Neville, accuse Arsenal of lacking.
The Gunners need a changing room full of leaders and potential captains. Xhaka is the skipper for the Switzerland national team and his leadership will be needed next season as the north Londoners return to the Champions League for the first time since 2017.
He is one of the few players in the squad that have played at that level before and the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba will need players that have experienced playing in Europe's premier competition. This summer is the time to add to what Arsenal achieved this season, not take away from it.
Perhaps the Gunners can upgrade on Xhaka this summer, an addition like Rice certainly makes a lot of sense but getting rid of the former Borussia Monchengladbach star would undoubtedly be a mistake, his qualities on and off the pitch will be needed.
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