The 14th April 2024 could go down as a poignant one for both Arsenal Football Club and Granit Xhaka.
Both kicking off a 4.30pm, the Gunners had the chance to cement their own title ambitions against Aston Villa.
They had seen fellow challengers Liverpool tast defeat against Crystal Palace just a few hours prior but the form book was ripped up, sending Manchester City top of the pile.
While Arsenal suffered a crippling 2-0 loss to Unai Emery’s men, Xhaka was in no mood to be despondent.
Scoring just his second goal in Bayer Leverkusen colours, he helped Xabi Alonso’s men to their first-ever Bundesliga title win, smacking Werder Bremen 5-0.
Many questioned the sale of the Swiss, but the midfielder has enjoyed a life of luxury since moving back to Germany, with Leverkusen remarkably unbeaten across all competitions this season.
Granit Xhaka’s season in numbers
Xhaka’s departure from the Emirates Stadium last summer came as a real shock. The former Gunners man had revived his career in some style, moving from much-hated club captain to a real club icon.
Why? Well, his form as a left-sided 8 under Arteta was nothing short of remarkable in his final term in London.
Surging forward from the centre of the pitch and ghosting into the penalty box like a prime Frank Lampard, the 31-year-old contributed nine goals and seven assists, capturing the hearts of many at Emirates Stadium.
Granit Xhaka’s Premier League career at Arsenal |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
Yellow cards |
2016/17 |
32 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
2017/18 |
38 |
1 |
7 |
10 |
2018/19 |
29 |
4 |
2 |
10 |
2019/20 |
31 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
2020/21 |
31 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
2021/22 |
27 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
2022/23 |
37 |
7 |
7 |
5 |
Figures via WhoScored |
This term has been a great deal different for Xhaka. He has found the net twice and only has one assist for his troubles.
That doesn’t mean the Bundesliga champion has underperformed though, far from it.
As per FBref, he ranks in the very best 1% of midfielders in Germany’s top flight this term for progressive passes, overall passes, passes into the final third, touches, carries and passes received.
He has been a real focal point of Alonso’s team, also sitting among the best 11% for shot-creating actions and top 2% for pass completion rate. It’s safe to say he’s been pretty damn good.
Why did Arsenal let him go, therefore? Well, it was their last chance to cash in and a certain Kai Havertz was right around the corner.
Considering it took him until November to score from open play, there may well be a tinge of regret around Xhaka’s departure. He has been nothing short of a sensation in 2023/24.
That said, he isn’t the only Bundesliga star the club could look back upon wondering ‘what if?’.
Arsenal will regret selling another Bundesliga star
We have to go back further in time for this tale, one which doesn’t quite have the same sweet taste as Xhaka’s fabled story.
This time, Serge Gnabry is the focus, scorer of a goal at the Emirates Stadium last week in the Champions League.
Most supporters will be familiar with the fact he once played for the Gunners but he remains probably their biggest mistake when it comes to player departures.
The German had made his breakthrough ten years ago, during the 2013/14 campaign, notably scoring his first league goal against Swansea.
However, the young winger at the time didn’t sign a new contract and eventually took his leave, departing London for a fee of just £4m, signing for Werder Bremen after only 18 Arsenal appearances.
Speaking about his exit, the now 28-year-old said: “I was still confident I could’ve got in the team but I didn’t want to wait. I didn’t want to be fourth or fifth choice any longer. It was the hardest decision I had to make in football, leaving a club like Arsenal – the fans, the players – but to keep playing I had to take a step back and it was the right decision.”
What’s Gnabry doing now? Well, despite Bayern failing to win the league title for the first time in 11 years, the £310k-per-week earner has still been shining, showing Arsenal what they’re missing.
It’s been an injury-hit campaign for the Germany international but he’s still found the net five times in 17 outings. Last term was far more productive, however, bagging 17 times and assisting 12 strikes. To put those numbers into context, they were both better than Bukayo Saka’s tally of 15 goals and 11 assists in 2022/23.
So, even though they’ve had the Englishman breakthrough with some aplomb, there would surely still be room for Gnabry in a modern-day Arsenal side.
His numbers for Bayern have been extraordinarily consistent. Hailed as “world-class” by writer Cristian Nyari, the 45-cap German has found the net on 86 occasions in 235 matches.
To lose a player who was once valued at over £50m for just £4m will be a sickener. His market value – as per Football Transfers – may have now fallen just £29m after a period on the sidelines, but he is still an exceptional talent. Arsenal must rue not being able to convince him to stay in England, perhaps even more so than a certain Xhaka.
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