Ian Wright has claimed that Granit Xhaka has surprised him more than any other Arsenal player this season.
Xhaka has enjoyed a stellar campaign, netting five goals and providing a further seven assists in the Premier League alone this term. That kind of form has helped Mikel Arteta's side challenge for the title, currently sitting just one point behind league-leaders Manchester City, albeit the Citizens have a game in hand.
Now, Gunners icon Wright has heaped praise on the Swiss campaign, hailing Arteta for deploying the 30-year-old in a more advanced position. Speaking on Optus Sport, the former England international said: “Who has been the surprise? I’d probably say Granit Xhaka.
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"He’s been a brilliant servant to the club to this point. Every manager has trusted him. He’s magnificent in the dressing room. This season with Mikel using him as more of an attacking force, what you’re seeing now is that he doesn’t get involved in fouls and that stuff, that wasn’t the strength of his game.
“He’s one of the driving forces of the team and I’m very pleased that Mikel has recognised that in him and he’s turned into the player where it would be tough for us to put a side out where we need anything and he’s not in it.
“I was one of his critics, you’d see him make mistakes that you make when you’re not in the right position. I’ve eaten a lot of humble pie over Xhaka and I’ve got no problem with that because he’s come and he’s proved a lot of people wrong.
“Mikel has to take a lot of credit for that because he’s playing him in a position where he can excel and the reason we’re excelling in the team is because he’s one of the main cogs in that."
Wright isn't the only one to notice Xhaka's excellent campaign either, with Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen 'desperate' to sign him this summer transfer window, as per the Mirror. Leverkusen had previously tried to prise the tough-tackling midfielder away from the Emirates Stadium before Arteta convinced him to stay.
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