da esport bet： The Gunners midfielder is expected to play his final game for the club against Wolves on Sunday after a rollercoaster career at the Emirates Stadium
da cassino online： Granit Xhaka’s time at Arsenal looks set to be coming to an end. The midfielder is pushing for a return to Germany and the north London club are in advanced talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a deal of around £13 million ($16m). Should the transfer be finalised, it will bring to an end a rollercoaster seven years for the Switzerland international at Arsenal.
It wasn’t long ago that most Gunners fans would have gladly driven Xhaka to Germany themselves just to get him out of the club, but now he is expected to receive a standing ovation from 60,000 at the Emirates Stadium in what will most likely be his final game for the club on Sunday against Wolves.
Ahead of what looks set to be an emotional day for Xhaka, GOAL takes a look back at the highs and lows of his dramatic time with the Gunners…
Getty ImagesXhaka signs
Arsenal signed Xhaka from Borussia Mönchengladbach in May 2016. "Granit is an exciting young player, already with good Champions League and Bundesliga experience,” Arsene Wenger said. "We have been watching him for a long time now and he is a player who will add quality to our squad.”
Arsenal fans had been calling for a defensive midfielder to be signed for some time, so the capture of the 23-year-old was met with a lot of excitement.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe slow start
Xhaka’s start to life at Arsenal was not an easy one. Given the Gunners had spent £35m to bring him in from Germany, most expected he would go straight into the side, but that was not the case. In fact, Xhaka started just six league games before December during his debut season in England, much to his frustration.
“It’s not about his quality at the moment as he adapts to the pace of the English game,” Wenger said. “For me, it’s about pairs who work together. [Francis] Coquelin and [Santi] Cazorla have worked well together. He will play games and every week he is stronger and better. He will have a huge impact as a player.”
Getty ImagesHis first goal
Xhaka’s first goal for Arsenal came in a 4-1 win at Hull City in September 2016. Having come on as a second-half substitute, the midfielder let fly with one of those trademark powerful left-footed strikes from distance which flew into the top corner in the final minute. It was a fabulous goal.
Getty ImagesRed cards & Wenger criticism
Xhaka arrived with the reputation as somewhat of a hot head and he didn’t take long to live up to that billing. He was sent off twice within his first six months as an Arsenal player, and after his second dismissal, in a game against Burnley, Wenger surprised everyone by basically admitting that the defensive midfielder he had spent so much money on couldn't tackle properly.
“He’s not naturally a great tackler,” said the Arsenal boss. “In his decision making, he is quite intelligent on the pitch. But it’s more the way he tackles that is not really convincing. He doesn’t master well the technique. I would encourage him not to tackle, to stay on his feet.”