Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva has said it’ll be sad to see one Arsenal star leave the club this summer, amid reports linking him with a move away from North London.
Granit Xhaka joined Arsenal in 2016 where he’s enjoyed many highs and a few lows during that period, however if he is to leave the Gunners this summer then there is no better way to go out than having the season he’s just had in 2022/23.
The 30-year-old produced his best season ever in an Arsenal shirt which helped the Gunners put together a surprising title challenge. The Swiss midfielder missed only one Premier League game for Arsenal this season, scoring 7 goals and recording 7 assists. Mikel Arteta used Xhaka in a more advanced midfield role during the 2022/23 campaign and its fair to say he definitely reaped the rewards.
Despite the outstanding season he’s just had, Granit Xhaka is set to leave Arsenal this transfer window, with his contract up at the end of next season. He has agreed a deal to sign for Bayern Leverkusen, however Mikel Arteta has put a hold on the transfer going through just until the Gunners get a replacement through the door first.
Arsenal are set to receive a fee of around £15million with Mikel Arteta admitting before the end of the 22/23 season that the midfielder’s future needs to be “discussed”.
“The clarity is there. He is a player that has played I think every minute since I have been the manager. He is an incredibly respected figure at the club. He has a great story around him with what he has achieved at the club in going through very tough moments and he is a key and very important part of us. Whatever happens is something we will discuss, certainly not now.”
Granit Xhaka is heading to Bayer Leverkusen for a deal worth around £15million. [Image Credit: Getty Images]
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Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva has admitted it “would be sad to see him leave” Arsenal this summer.
Gilberto Silva on Granit Xhaka leaving the club: “This year, Xhaka has done so well for the team, he had a tough time two years ago but regained the confidence of the club and the fans especially, and did fantastic.”
“It would be sad to see him leave, it would be great to have him stay a little more at the club because he became an important part of the team.”
Arsenal lead the way in the Premier League for the majority of the season, however just fell short towards the end which gave Manchester City their third league title in as many seasons. However Gilberto Silva has insisted that Arsenal’s season should still be considered a successful one.
“I look at it as a success, not many people expected Arsenal to challenge for the title especially against Manchester City. Of course, everybody is disappointed on missing out on the opportunity to become champions especially because they’ve been waiting for this moment for such a long time, they were so close but in the end, they were so far.”
“We have to look back on how we began this season, we can consider it a success especially because Arsenal are back in the Champions League after such a long time.”
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