Arsenal verdict: Nobody embodies Gunners’ resurgence better than Xhaka as much-maligned ex-captain shines under Arteta
ONLY three current Arsenal players were on duty at Bournemouth on Boxing Day 2019 in Mikel Arteta’s first game as manager.
And one of those, keeper Aaron Ramsdale, was playing for the home side in a 1-1 draw.
The huge turnover in personnel in less than three years underlines the turmoil and the transformation which has undergone at Arsenal since.
What is more surprising is that Granit Xhaka is one of the two survivors from a trip to the south coast in which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had to salvage a point with a 63rd minute equaliser.
In the intervening time Arsenal have found it hard to rediscover the kind of form they currently enjoy with three wins on the spin in an impressive start to the season.
And nobody embodies the erratic ups and downs endured by Arteta more than Xhaka.
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Few Arsenal fans making the journey to the Vitality Stadium would have bet that Xhaka would still be at their club let alone in Arteta’s starting XI by now.
Stripped of the captaincy, at odds with the supporters, derided for mistakes and poor form, the Swiss midfielder deserves credit for sticking it out and enjoying the renaissance sweeping through the club.
He has started all three Premier League games so far this campaign, even scoring a goal in last weekend’s 4-2 win over Leicester.
From being booed by his own crowd he is now back in the fold and back in business.
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Xhaka did not do anything spectacular at Bournemouth, but his simple tasks he did well.
The assist for William Saliba’s sublime strike in the 53rd minute was clinical, routine and polished.
But it needed Xhaka to be in the right place at the right time and alert enough to provide a simple lay-off that led to the best goal of the game.
It is probably the case that there weren’t too many takers for Xhaka this time last year when Arteta would have been happy to let him go.
But he has stuck with it in the same way his manager has.
Xhaka, 29, has two years left on his contract and it is not silly to suggest that before long there will be talks about extending his deal, when not so long ago the fans would have driven him to his next club.
The travelling contingent even sang his name as their team sewed up a comfortable victory that put them top of the league.
The other surviving Arsenal player from Arteta’s debut at Bournemouth is Bukayo Saka.
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Arteta has already gone public with his desire to see the exciting winger sign a new deal.
If Xhaka does the same it will cap a remarkable tale of self-belief and resurgence from a player who once embodied everything that was wrong with Arsenal to playing a key role now that things are going right.