ROCKY GRANIT
Arsenal star Xhaka rules HIMSELF out of Leicester clash – and Emery doesn’t know when he’ll be back
GRANIT XHAKA told Arsenal he is not ready to play for them again after being stripped of the armband.
And boss Unai Emery admits he has spoken with club chiefs about the possibility of selling the former skipper in January.
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Xhaka, 27, has not played since being booed off against Crystal Palace and telling the fans to “f*** off” two weeks ago.
And he will miss today’s vital trip to Leicester.
Emery confirmed: “He said to me he is not yet available and I don’t know if he’s going to play again.
“The club knows the player’s decision and they know my ideas about this situation.”
It will be the fourth game in a row that Swiss midfielder Xhaka has sat out.
And Emery admitted: “We are now a little weaker because we have one less player for that position.”
The Gunners boss is desperate for a victory today to end a dismal run of one win in their last six games.
Defeat at Leicester could leave Emery fighting for his job.
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But the under-fire Spaniard believes his work has been undermined by this season’s off-field distractions.
First, Laurent Koscielny wanted out, then Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac were targets of an attempted street robbery and now there is the Xhaka issue.
Emery said: “I’m not really disappointed with our work because some circumstances this season did not help us to achieve our best emotional balance.”
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Unai Emery confirms Granit Xhaka will miss Leicester game
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