Max Eberl has been speaking to BILD about Granit Xhaka, after the Arsenal man said he’d be open to returning to Borussia Monchengladbach in future.
What’s the story?
Well, the £35m man said earlier this week that his door would be open if Eberl wanted to bring him back to Germany in 2024.
That’s when Xhaka’s contract with Arsenal expires, and he’ll be 32 by that point.
By the sounds of it, Eberl doesn’t feel he could match the 29-year-old’s current salary, but said he’d speak to the midfielder in 2024.
BILD quote the 48-year-old as saying: “He has hinted at this more than once. Granit told me his salary, and I told him to play a few more years at Arsenal and then we can talk more.
“It’s a nice story and always nice when players express themselves like that. When he’s really 32 years old, I’ll talk to him again…”
Judging by those comments, Arsenal may not have a chance of keeping Xhaka beyond his current contract.
With the 98-cap Switzerland international and Eberl flirting in the media, Xhaka’s heart seems set on a return to Borussia Monchengladbach.
Arsenal shouldn’t try to keep Granit Xhaka
If Arsenal try to renew Xhaka’s contract when he’s 32, they’d be mad.
The Gunners No.34 earns £100,000-a-week, which is a hefty salary, and he’s far from a vital member of Mikel Arteta’s squad, in our opinion.
When things were going badly, he didn’t help the club in any way whatsoever by getting sent off during the 5-0 loss to Manchester City.
Then, after picking up an injury, Arsenal went on a ten-game unbeaten run in his absence, which is quite telling.
We’re not saying that Arsenal’s good run of form was purely down to Xhaka, but there’s certainly a correlation to be made.
In our view, Arsenal should let him go once his contract expires.
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