Under the guidance of Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have come on leaps and bounds.
The Gunners have been transformed from a team languishing in midtable mediocrity to one not only qualifying for the Champions League at a canter but consistently challenging for the Premier League title.
Such a dramatic transformation has been possible thanks to the manager’s leadership and the transfers made under his watch, both the incomings and outgoings.
However, while the majority of departures over the last few years have ultimately helped the team, a strong argument could be made that Granit Xhaka’s exit in 2023 was a mistake, although the good news is the club may finally have someone who could replace him in the starting lineup.
How Granit Xhaka's Arsenal career unfolded
Xhaka completed his move to Arsenal from Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer of 2016 for around £30m.
The Swiss international’s first couple of campaigns in red and white were not poor per se, but he joined the Gunners at a time in which they were regressing under former manager Arsène Wenger, and, unfortunately, his arrival did little to stop that slide.
Moreover, on top of not contributing much to the attack due to his position on the pitch, the tenacious midfielder began to build a reputation as a bit of a hothead, which, while not necessarily untrue at the time, most certainly became a defining part of his character to many fans and pundits alike.
Everything came to a head in the infamous game against Crystal Palace in November 2019, when frustration with the team, then-manager Unai Emery and a dismal performance led fans to boo when the midfielder was substituted.
In response, the former Mönchengladbach star swore at the fans and threw his shirt and the captain’s armband to the floor, which he was subsequently stripped of – understandably so.
It looked for intents and purposes that the Basel-born firebrand’s time in North London was up.
Still, somehow, Arteta convinced him to stay and fight for his place, which he certainly did, as, over the next few years, he went from outcast to essential cog in the Spaniard’s ever-improving side.
16/17
46
4
3
2
17/18
48
3
8
0
18/19
40
4
5
0
19/20
41
1
2
0
20/21
45
1
2
1
21/22
30
1
2
2
22/23
47
9
7
0
The 32-year-old’s best campaign at the club was undoubtedly his last, as he was able to combine his fiery nature and leadership with his ability to maraud up and down the left-hand side and, thanks to his wand of a left foot, he ended the season with nine goals and seven assists to his name.
Since then, the 135-capped international moved to Leverkusen for around £21.4m, helped them to their first league title ever, and while they don’t look like they’ll get over the line this year, are once again in a title race, so when some fans suggest the club shouldn’t have sold him in 2023, it’s easy to see where they are coming from.
The good news is that Hale End might have just handed Arteta his new Xhaka.
Arsenal's new Granit Xhaka is making an impact
Since his departure, there have been a few players that Arsenal fans have looked upon as potential ‘Xhaka replacements’, from Declan Rice last season to Mikel Merino this year.
However, in reality, the former plays the left-eight role in an entirely different manner to the Swiss ace, and the latter has simply not performed well enough or consistently enough to be compared to him this year.
Instead, the true heir to the former Gooner could come from the academy in the shape of Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Now, it’s true that the youngster has primarily played at left-back this season, but there are a few reasons he could be the 32-year-old’s true successor, and the first is the fact he’s not really a full-back.
Instead, the Islington-born gem is a midfielder, and across his senior and junior career, that is the position he’s played more than any other, with left-back being a close second thanks to his emergence in the first team this season.
On top of that, the 17-year-old, whom former wonderkid and U18 coach Jack Wilshere described as “unplayable,” also has a sensational left foot on him, which we’ve already seen several times this season, such as when he helped to set up the opening goal against AS Monaco in December. Like the former Arsenal skipper, he’s evidently capable of playing balls between the lines and playing in a progressive manner.
Finally, on top of everything else, the incredible prospect, who Hale End expert and podcaster Will Balsam dubbed a “different beast,” has shown he has a fiery side to him.
He notably mocked Erling Haaland following his superb strike against Manchester City earlier this month and then, in a negative sense, when he picked up a straight red card for his foul on Mohammed Kudus last weekend.
Ultimately, Xhaka was a brilliant player for Arsenal, and while it might still be early days, it looks like they may have finally found his true successor in Lewis-Skelly.
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