Arsenal miss Xhaka claims former Gunner who thinks replacement Havertz 'isn't working out'

talksport.com, 5 November 2023, 14:05

Fresh off of their first defeat of the season, one former Arsenal player has identified what's gone wrong at the Emirates.

A 1-0 defeat at St James' Park against Newcastle left the Gunners fuming and three points behind title rivals Man City.

It hasn't been the smoothest of seasons so far for Arsenal, who underwent a number of big changes in the transfer market after finishing as Premier League runners-up last season.

Transforming their midfield, Mikel Arteta secured a club-record deal for £105million deal for Declan Rice, and also brought in £65m Kai Havertz.

Going the other way was Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen, and the Swiss star is now top of the Bundesliga.

Former Gunner Kieran Gibbs was watching the defeat to Newcastle for ESPN, and felt the loss of Xhaka stood out as the biggest issue.

Discussing why the Arsenal attack doesn't look so fluid, he said: "I think the absence of Xhaka actually.

"He probably had his best season last season, let's be honest, after a long spell at the club.

"I don't think he was underrated last season. I just think he was appreciated more for what he was doing. He calmed down his antics with his fouls and stuff. He just cleaned up a lot of his game. I felt he was a really good link.

"He gave that balance, especially when [Oleksandr] Zinchenko came in last season and started to play inverted, it gave Xhaka a bit of a different role. I do think it is having a bigger effect on the team than most people think.

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"I do think it's a problem. I think Arteta wanted Havertz to fill that role. It hasn't worked out so far. It's still early enough in the season and it's something he is going to look at."

Read full version: https://talksport.com/football/1629602/arsenal-miss-granit-xhaka-kai-havertz-kieran-gibbs/

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