Disgruntled by the treatment he got from Arsenal fans, Granit Xhaka has requested to be transferred from the Emirates, and team manager Unai Emery indicated that the former team captain is unlikely to play for the Gunners again. Xhaka is said to be eyeing a return to Bundesliga.
Following Xhaka's angry confrontation with Arsenal fans and his subsequent sacking as team captain, the Gunners arrived at a decision that the Swiss international's stay at the Emirates is no longer tenable. The midfielder will be sold to interested teams as early as January, The Daily Mail reported.
His likely route from the Premier League is a way back to Bundesliga, the report said, adding it is understood that Xhaka's impending exit was mutually agreed upon.
Since the furor that saw the former skipper clashing with some spectators at the Emirates, Arsenal has not included Xhaka in the squad and it will be the same case when the team faces off with Leicester City this coming weekend.
Confirming reports that the club hierarchy has started on discussions that will see the Swiss moving out soon, Emery said his former captain will likely unable to play for Arsenal again. The club boss hinted that in light of the recent incidents, it seemed Xhaka no longer wants to hit the pitch for the Gunners.
"As a coach I have a responsibility for the team. We need a player like Xhaka. But also I don't know if he is going to play again," The Telegraph reported the Arsenal chief tactician as saying.
He admitted though that losing Xhaka will certainly weaken the Gunners "because we have one less player in that [midfield] position."
The loss of Xhaka came as Dani Ceballos was hit by injury. The Spaniard will be forced to skip the Leicester match, thus adding to Emery's manpower shortage concerns.
And the club chief's problems do not stop there. Even the transfer move by Xhaka is poised to cause financial issues on the Arsenal side. The team board is reportedly anticipating that selling the Swiss midfielder will not be rewarding for Arsenal, Metro reported.
The Gunners acquired Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016 and paid £34 million on that deal. In light of the controversies haunting the Swiss at the moment, the Arsenal board feared offers for the midfielder will not even come close to the cost of his acquisition.
While Xhaka remains popular in Germany and Bundesliga clubs will surely take him in, it seemed remote that interested parties will be willing to pay on the price tag set by Arsenal. And the Gunners, for sure, will not want to let go of the Switzerland international for a cheap offer.
Xhaka's contract with Arsenal will expire on 2023 and he collects a weekly salary of £100,000 on that deal.
