FAREWELL XHAKA, OH WHAT A TROJAN HE WAS.

2016, this gem of a player signed for Arsenal under the great, Arsene Wenger. He came in from Germany, where he played for Borussia Monchengladbach, and he was a star performer in all of Germany.

Arsene Wenger said about the then 23-year-old Xhaka then– "Granit is an exciting young player, already with good Champions League and Bundesliga experience."

Need I say more?

Xhaka was already the captain of Monchengladbach at that age, and he said this to Arsenal media as he was preparing to resume with Arsenal – "I'm an aggressive player and also a leader. I'm only 23 but I captained a good team in Germany."

Wow, even at a young age, his confidence was palpable and he summed up his style in very clear words. What a man!

It's been ovwr six years since then, he has captained Arsenal and is now an assistant captain as well as the captain of the Swedish national team.

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1658498403653877760?s=20
source

He was such a warrior, what a servant, a trojan, he has been.
A player who wears his heart on his sleeves for the club. This kind won't come tomorrow and be seeking for employment in Manchester City or United, or Chelsea even.🙈

He'll forever be remembered. Oh that his exquisite left-foot, his grit, stamina, skill and footballing intelligence , especially when pressure is much on his team. He can attack, he can defend, he can throw-in even.😊

Ofcourse he had a bad patch under Unai Emery, who was using him wrongly( yet he was doing so well for Sweden during this same period– Sweden using him correctly). His performances changed drastically once Emery was given the boot and his position was changed.

Now he leaves to be coached by another former midfielder, one that had by far a more illustrious career than Mikel Arteta( these former midfielders hun, just absolutely love this Xhaka guy🙂).

Xhaka is something for real and I think this is the perfect time for him to move on, Xabi Alonso and Bayern Leverkusen could make him captain even( by the way, keep an eye on that Leverkusen project). Whichever way, he'll be a leader there as he always is. It will therefore be said that he has both played for Bayern and Borussia, the two best clubs in Germany.🙂

The Swiss captain has informed Mikel Arteta that he needs a new experience and I perfectly agree. Leverkusen expects to qualify for Europe and keep building from there. It would be an interesting storyline to for Xhaka to play against Arsenal in the Champions league someday.

In his time at Arsenal, Xhaka has made 295 appearances, scoring 21 goals and providing 29 assists. He was part of Arsenal's 2017 and 2020 FA Cup-winning sides, starting in both finals, and also won the Community Shield in 2018 and 2020. This season he has scored five crucial goals and registered 7 assists in a total of 45 appearances for the club.

Well he goes for a meagre fee, something that has been a common occurrence since Arteta. It seems like a super-rich family or really kind family, just selling off things at give-away prices to help the needy. Time for the mercurial Smith-Rowe or even the much expected Declan Rice of Westham to ably fill in the gap. No worries whatsoever.

The Swiss captain will surely end up being a real footballing legend.

Farewell sir, we'll surely miss you.

THIS IS ARSENAL.

cheerfully...