The new Premier League season is less than a week away and there is a lot of positivity around Arsenal. The Gunners won the FA Cup at the end of last season and picked up the Community Shield last week.
The confidence among the players and the fans is higher now than it has been for some time. Arsenal are yet to complete all their transfer activity, but a few of their own players have been impressing on the international stage.
Eddie Nketiah bagged a hat-trick for England under-21s, while Reiss Nelson scored a goal as well. Bukayo Saka had a very impressive game too, while Bernd Leno pulled off a few smart saves against Switzerland on Sunday.
The best performance, however, arguably came from Granit Xhaka. The Swiss international was brilliant against Germany and played a massive part in helping his side avoid defeat.
Xhaka had 99 touches of the ball and completed 71 out of his 81 attempted passes. He completed six of his attempted nine long balls and also had three shots on target, all from a long way out. The former Arsenal skipper maintained a very impressive passing accuracy of 88% and he was one of the best players on the pitch against the former world champions.
As good as he has been for Arsenal since he signed, the Swiss international has never fully got the appreciation he has deserved. Xhaka had his outburst against the home supporters last year and was very close to leaving the club.
Many felt his time at the Gunners was over but Mikel Arteta had other ideas. The Arsenal boss convinced him to stay and he has since been one of their best players, especially since Project Restart.
Arsenal fans are dreaming about signing the likes of Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar, but Xhaka will likely remain in the starting line-up even if the Gunners secure moves for others.
Arsenal fans have had their doubts over Xhaka’s ability in the Premier League. However, many of them heaped praise on him after his performance against Germany in the Nations League on Sunday.
Some supporters even felt that he outclassed Toni Kroos, which is some compliment considering the Real Madrid man is among the best midfielders in the game.
Here is how a few Arsenal fans reacted on Twitter
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