Arsenal lost a crucial player when Granit Xhaka decided to end his stay at the Emirates in the summer, and some of the current squad have now admitted they feel his absence.
Xhaka joined Arsenal in 2016 for around £30m from Borussia Monchengladbach, and had a roller-coaster few years in North London.
He played in a variety of roles under Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery, but a fallout with the Arsenal fanbase sparked a desire to leave before Mikel Arteta convinced him to stay.
Xhaka then thrived under the Spaniard, and enjoyed his best campaign in an Arsenal shirt last season, and became a huge character in the dressing room before he moved to Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
Ben White, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe miss Granit Xhaka
Speaking to Official Club Media, Fabio Vieira, Ben White and Emile Smith Rowe were asked whether they miss having Xhaka in the squad, five months since his departure from the Emirates.
Presenter: “He’s [Xhaka] not here anymore. Do you guys miss him?
Fabio Vieira: “Yeah, a lot.”
Presenter: “What was he like around here?”
Emile Smith Rowe: “Top guy man, top guy.”
Ben White: “Big character.”
Granit Xhaka was well respected within the Arsenal squad
Even when Xhaka was not the most popular figure amongst the Arsenal fanbase, he was clearly respected by his teammates.
Emery ran a vote amongst his playing squad over who should be captain after the departure of Laurent Koscielny, and Xhaka was elected by his teammates to be the player to wear the armband.
He later lost the armband shortly before Emery was dismissed, after an infamous fallout during a game against Crystal Palace, but Arteta helped him repair his relationship with the club, and his performances improved when he moved into a more attacking midfield role.
Xhaka is now flying high with Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga, but he has stated that he will return to Arsenal to say a final goodbye to the fanbase when the Gunners take on West Ham on December 28th.
Kai Havertz replaced Xhaka within the Arsenal squad, but the German initially struggled following his move from Chelsea. Xhaka recently urged the fans to be patient with the 24-year-old, and highlighted how he also took time to adapt to his new midfield role under Arteta.
Even though Havertz has grown in confidence in recent weeks, some have still claimed that Arsenal miss Xhaka in midfield, and it is clear that some of the players have really noticed his absence.
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