Granit Xhaka has ‘lost the respect’ of some Arsenal stars by refusing to privately apologise for ‘f*** off’ fan rant

GRANIT XHAKA has reportedly "lost the respect" of some Arsenal players by refusing to privately apologise for his foul-mouthed rant at fans.

The midfielder was stripped of the club captaincy after telling Gunners supporters to "f*** off" in the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace last month.

Fans inside the Emirates brutally booed him off the field when substituted for Bukayo Saka.

Xhaka, 27, has not played for Arsenal since and boss Unai Emery admitted he has no idea when he'll pull on the shirt once again.

The Spaniard also hinted that he could leave the Emirates when the transfer window opens in January.

According to , the decision to remove the armband from Xhaka and award it to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has divided opinion inside Arsenal.

Despite a poor relationship with fans, the 27-year-old Swiss midfielder was generally well-regarded by players and staff at the North London club.

Some of the players believe Xhaka has been “thrown under the bus” for the row against Palace.

But others have lost respect for the former Borussia Monchengladbach star after he stormed away from the Emirates following the incident and refused to privately apologise to the rest of the players.

The Athletic adds that Xhaka was involved in a heated exchange with a teammate in training ahead of the 1-1 draw with Wolves on November 2.

Arsenal have also been accused of blocking their £30million signing from releasing a statement to fans in the aftermath of the Palace game.

XHAKLASH

The 27-year-old eventually posted a statement revealing death threats against his wife and people wishing his young daughter got cancer.

The statement - first released on Xhaka's behalf through Arsenal's Twitter account - read: "After taking some time to reflect on what happened on Sunday afternoon, I would like to give you an explanation rather than just a quick response.

"The scenes that took place around my substitution have moved me deeply.

"I love this club and always give 100 per cent on and off the pitch.

"My feeling of not being understood by fans, and repeated abusive comments at matches and in social media over the last weeks and months have hurt me deeply.

"People have said things like 'We will break your legs', 'Kill your wife' and 'Wish that your daughter gets cancer'.

"In this situation, I let myself be carried away and reacted in a way that disrespected the group of fans that support our club, our team and myself with positive energy.

"That has not been my intention and I'm sorry if that's what people thought.

"My wish is that we get back to a place of mutual respect, remembering why we fell in love with this game in the first place.

"Let's move forward positively together."