Granit Xhaka has shared his thoughts on Stephan Lichtsteiner’s one-year stint at Arsenal.
Xhaka spent seven years at Arsenal between 2016 and 2023, making almost 300 appearances in a red and white shirt.
This period at the Emirates coincided with Lichtsteiner’s brief spell in North London in the 2018/19 campaign.
Unai Emery signed the Swiss right-back on a free transfer from Juventus in the summer of 2018, and his time in N5 certainly didn’t quite go according to plan.
Granit Xhaka shares his thoughts on Stephan Lichtsteiner at Arsenal
Xhaka provided insight into his fallout at Arsenal in a huge interview with the Athletic prior to the Gunners’ game against Sunderland on Saturday.
The Swiss also spoke of his compatriot, Lichtsteiner, during the interview. The veteran full-back joined Arsenal in the summer of 2018 for free, to provide Hector Bellerin with some much-needed cover and competition.
However, Lichtsteiner, who was 34 when he signed for the Gunners, certainly didn’t enjoy a successful year in N5.
Making 23 appearances across all competitions, the Switzerland legend struggled to cope with the intensity and the physicality of the Premier League.
“I had the privilege to play under a lot of good captains but, if I can say one, it is Stephan Lichtsteiner,” Xhaka told the Athletic.
“He had eight years at Juventus, won everything. He was my captain with Switzerland, but I was lucky he came to Arsenal for one year at 35. I saw how hard he worked day by day.
“I was thinking, ‘I’m not surprised this guy is so fit he can play for Arsenal at 35’. And he’s a leader, human being, professional, all these things. He was just en pointe.”
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Stephan Lichtsteiner’s signing proved to be a lesson for Arsenal
Arsenal went through a period of signing elder statesmen, particularly in their back-line, in their first 15 years at the Emirates.
The likes of Mikael Silvestre, a returning Sol Campbell, Petr Cech and David Luiz all joined the Gunners at the latter stages of their career.
Lichtsteiner was one of the oldest of this bunch, and his addition has seemingly prompted the Arsenal hierarchy to reassess this approach.
Ultimately, signing declining and ageing players who are close to retiring to play in the Premier League generally isn’t a smart move.
It’s one thing adding someone in their late 20s or just turned 30, but adding a 33-year-old to operate in the most physically intense league on the planet simply doesn’t make sense.
Arsenal have since refrained from signing veterans, with no outfield player over the age of 31 being brought to the club since Lichtsteiner.
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