da fazobetai： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
da bet nacional： After a turbulent time, Granit Xhaka has opened up on the way he has been treated by Arsenal fans in an interview with Blick.
What did he say?
Granit Xhaka’s position at Arsenal has completely transformed since he lost his cool after being substituted against Crystal Palace.
In the time following that he has been stripped of the captaincy and missed three games in a row across all competitions, with Unai Emery even admitting his time at the club could be over.
Having already put out a statement, Xhaka has now had an interview with Blick, in which he said: “When my shirt number lit up on the fourth official’s panel and our own fans broke into gleeful jubilation, that hit me very hard and really upset me. It was very hurtful and frustrating.
“I can’t understand a reaction like that even now, especially the vehemence of it and the extreme hostility directed against me.
“Insulting and swearing at your own captain will cause upset and a bad atmosphere for the team you are actually supposed to be supporting. That makes no sense to me and weakens the team’s spirit.”
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Past the point of no return?
Even without these comments, it would have been very difficult for the Switzerland international to work his way back into the fans’ good books following his reaction in the moment – especially considering they were already so unimpressed with him they booed before the gestures.
Charlie Nicholas also gave the opinion that Xhaka would leave before the latest comments, saying on Sky Sports, via football.london: “I think it’s broken now, I think he is still very upset. I don’t see a long-term future. I wouldn’t be surprised come January that at the age of 27 he makes the decision to move on.”
With all of this in mind, he may have taken things past the point of no return with his latest comments.
Due to the current situation, the international break arguably comes at a good time for Unai Emery, as it will give him an opportunity to evaluate what it is he does with Xhaka from here.
Considering he had already claimed the 27-year-old could have to leave the Emirates, it would be a massive surprise to see Xhaka add to his 144 appearances in an Arsenal shirt.
His latest comments aren’t quite the final nail in the coffin, but they suggest that the relationship between player and fans is broken beyond repair.