Arsenal seem to be carrying on their form from last season to the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, as Mikel Arteta’s side sit just one point below the summit after 12 games played.
The Gunners narrowly missed out on claiming their first Premier League title since 2004 last term, gracefully falling short to eventual treble winners Manchester City, who obliterated everyone in their path on their road to glory.
Aside from the initial disappointment of not claiming the title, the north Londoners took a lot away from the 2022/23 calendar, which saw them finish in the top two for the first time since Arsene Wenger’s 2015/16 season.
The progression at Arsenal was traceable both on and off the pitch, as players evolved and the belief within the squad grew thanks to the tireless enthusiasm of Arteta, who went head to head with his former colleague, Pep Guardiola.
Out of all the players that represented the Gunners last season, one stood out as transforming his time at the Emirates in that term in particular, as Granit Xhaka emerged from the smoke as one of the club’s most crucial assets.
How much Arsenal signed Granit Xhaka for
Wenger purchased Xhaka from Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer of 2016, welcoming the Swiss international as a 23-year-old in the bid to bolster his side’s options in midfield.
Arsenal were aware of the calibre of central midfielder they were to receive in the Monchengladbach whiz, who had recorded 140 appearances for his prior employers playing in a range of competitions including the German top-flight and the Champions League.
During Xhaka's final season in the Bundesliga, his defiant presence in the squad was highlighted by his stellar average of 2.4 tackles and 2.7 interceptions per game, reinforcing his defensive stability in the engine room.
For those reasons and the demographic of player that Wenger yearned for in his squad, Arsenal handed the German outfit £30m for the 23-year-old's services, making him the third most expensive capture in the club’s history at the time.
Granit Xhaka's career at Arsenal
Not many could have predicted the twists and turns that would prevail from the signing of the Switzerland international, with many sides of his playing style and personality both adored and hated in north London.
Once lauded as a “warrior” by journalist Anu Nande, Xhaka’s combative edge caused him more trouble than good in the early days of his Arsenal career, as highlighted in the table below as the Basel-born gem was consistent with his yellow card tally in the Premier League.
Goals
Assists
Key passes p/g
Tackles p/g
Yellow cards
2
2
1.1
2.4
5
1
7
1
2.1
10
4
2
1.4
1.8
10
1
2
0.5
1.5
10
1
2
0.5
1.6
7
1
2
1.2
1.2
10
7
7
1.3
0.9
5
What is most prominent are the ups and downs of the midfielder’s form, with a drop notable during Unai Emery’s reign, and a rise under Arteta, particularly last season.
The 2019/20 campaign was a particularly difficult one for the £30m man, whose career at the Emirates looked dead and buried when he was booed off the pitch to which he reacted with hostility – ironically while he was the club captain.
Emery stripped the Swiss of captaincy and he was left at rock-bottom, with limited backing from the fans and a lot to prove whilst fighting his own upset at the situation.
The 2022/23 campaign marked an act of moving full circle for Xhaka, who discovered his best form in his final season at Arsenal, where he won back the love and trust of the fans by showing his love for the club through his ability on the pitch.
Arteta trialled handing the 31-year-old a more advanced role in his final campaign, which worked to stellar effect as he recorded his best goal contributions tally in his entire career thanks to being handed the freedom to roam.
Before last term, Xhaka’s highest goal contribution tally in the Premier League was his eight contributions in the 2017/18 campaign, a figure that was smashed out of the park by his seven goals and seven assists in 2022/23 to showcase his effectiveness in the refreshed role.
A change in attitude, a change in role and a change in squad goals had a fundamental impact on the midfielder, enabling him to end his seven years in north London on a high note after experiencing some of the lowest lows earlier in his journey.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, seven years in England was enough for the two-time FA Cup winner, who departed in search of a new challenge and returned to Germany to sign for Bayer Leverkusen in the summer for a fee of £21.4m.
What Granit Xhaka is doing now
The Gunners were uplifted after Xhaka’s departure as his exit enabled space to be available in the squad for Declan Rice to arrive, with the Englishman not giving Arteta’s side a need to look back in memory of their departed star.
That being said, what Arsenal do miss is the role that the 31-year-old so sturdily made his own last season, with his ability to break the lines and his presence in the final sorely missed.
After finding his best-suited role at the Emirates, Xabi Alonso has relished in signing the beast that Arteta unearthed in the free-roaming role, as the 6 foot 1 dynamo excels back in the Bundesliga.
Prior to his exit, the Swiss was praised as “phenomenal” by analyst EBL on Twitter X, which has been reinforced by his chart-topping form at Leverkusen in the 2023/24 calendar so far.
As reported by Squawka, no player in Europe’s top seven leagues has made more successful passes into the final third than Xhaka this season, in which the 31-year-old has recorded a magnificent 129 passes.
Back in north London, Arteta is yet to get anything near the best out of his other summer midfielder acquisition, Kai Havertz, which only reminds those at Arsenal of what they are missing in their former hero since his departure.
Average
Rank in Bundesliga
Kai Havertz's PL average
94.84
Top 1%
29.62
92.4%
Top 1%
81.6%
11.82
Top 1%
2.65
101.26
Top 1%
35.80
110.94
Top 1%
46.76
The table above makes for painful reading for the Gunners, who haven’t yet been able to unlock their £65m signing, while their offloaded talent continues to thrive as one of the best in Germany.
Xhaka enjoyed seven eventful years at the Emirates and will always be remembered for his contributions both negative and positive, with the mourning period set to continue for far longer if his form remains at such levels going forward.
