Granit Xhaka is a bit of a cult hero at Arsenal.
The Swiss international had a decent relationship with the fans early on in his Gunners career, but things took a turn for the worse in 2019.
Xhaka had a fall-out with Arsenal supporters during a game against Crystal Palace at the Emirates. He lashed out at the home fans when they booed him while he was coming off.
The midfielder’s career looked over at that point, but he turned things around and received all the love from the same fans in his final season at the club.
That may not have been possible if a soon-to-be-implemented Premier League rule had existed back then.
Granit Xhaka will be glad that new Premier League rule didn’t exist in 2019
The Premier League are about to implement a new rule for the 2025/26 season.
The Telegraph reports that players who are substituted during a game will then be interviewed by the broadcasters.
These interviews are set to happen while those on the pitch continue playing, which is really weird, and we’re sure most players will not be too pleased with this.
Granit Xhaka, for one, will be glad that this rule is being implemented now and not six years ago, before the infamous incident against Crystal Palace at the Emirates.
The former Arsenal man was absolutely furious at that moment, and he could be seen shouting in anger at the home supporters.
If there was a mic waiting for him on the touchline right after he crossed the line, we are almost certain that he would’ve had a go in front of the cameras too.
That interview, had it happened, would’ve broken the internet, and Xhaka probably wouldn’t have been able to come back from that at Arsenal.
We’re so glad that this new rule did not exist at the time.
What Granit Xhaka later said about the incident vs Crystal Palace
What happened to Xhaka during the game against Crystal Palace was one of the lowest days of his career.
The Swiss star was booed by thousands of people at the Emirates, and it happened right in front of his family, who were watching him from the stands.
Speaking about the incident in December 2023, after he left Arsenal, Xhaka said: “To this day, I can’t really say what happened to me (in) that moment.
“A week earlier, I felt something was amiss during the game at Sheffield United. But when you play away, you don’t really know who’s whistling. I simply couldn’t imagine it was our supporters.
“Palace was not a bad game from me, not a top game either. I was surprised seeing my number up, as captain, in the 60th minute. I thought it was maybe a misunderstanding, perhaps they thought I was p——d off (with the substitution)?
“They booed me almost immediately. I thought, ‘OK, it’s me against 60,000, what do I do?’. Looking back, you regret things, but maybe you’re also happy that you did certain things. I’m still not sure… But I do know this: that day wasn’t easy.”
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