Speaking on ESPN, Steve Nicol has been discussing Arsenal and Granit Xhaka’s marked improvement for the Gunners this season.
The Swiss midfielder has been absolutely brilliant for Arsenal this term. He’s played the role of a box-to-box midfielder to absolute perfection, and he was at it again on Wednesday evening in Arsenal’s emphatic win over Everton.
Indeed, Xhaka absolutely ran the show against the Toffees, and he earned plenty of praise from Nicol after the game who stated that he looks like a different player these days.
A different player
Nicol hailed Xhaka for his performances this season.
“I think it’s been backed up by some great experience and a better than average pro. Xhaka for a long time was seen as just a good player who had his time at Arsenal and it was time to move on. That was until Arteta appeared. This is not the same player, I don’t know what Arteta is telling him or what he is doing with him, but this guy has taken a step forwards and is a huge part of Arsenal being top of the league. The guy is absolutely brilliant,” Nicol said.
It’s clicked
Nicol put the midfielder’s transformation down to his manager, but the reality is that Xhaka hasn’t always been this good for Arteta.
Indeed, let’s not forget that Arteta has been here for three years now, it’s not been an instant transformation by any means, but something has clearly clicked into gear this team.
We don’t know how or why Xhaka has improved so much, but the results are very much there for all to see.
Xhaka has been brilliant this term, and if he can keep this up he could well be a Premier League winner come the end of the season.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
