Jamie Carragher has stated that Granit Xhaka is a player that ‘lets himself down’ when playing for Arsenal, as he told Sky Sports Premier League.
The Sky pundit noted that ‘every manager’ picks the hard-hitting Arsenal midfielder, which suggests that there is something to his game and him as a person.
Ever since Xhaka has stepped foot into the Premier League limelight, he has had discipline issues, no more than this season.
Xhaka has been given his marching orders twice this term – away at Manchester City at the start of the campaign and then against Liverpool in the League Cup.
Whilst Carragher acknowledged that Xhaka is a good player, he feels that people are right to be ‘very critical’ of him, as he shared his thoughts on the player.
“Thing about Xhaka is that we are very critical of him,” said Carragher. “I wouldn’t say we are wrong.
“But every manager picks him. Even when he has been sent off and suspended, as soon as he returns, he always goes straight back into the team.
“There’s something about him. Maybe behind-the-scenes, in the dressing room or the type of character he is. I think we can all agree that he is a good player. We saw that in the summer as well in the international tournament.
“There is a player there that lets himself down at different times. Maybe this role he is now, a little bit further forward, means he doesn’t hurt his team much with a silly challenge.”
Xhaka’s relationship with those who sit in the stands at the Emirates will never change and the 29-year-old will always divide opinion.
But he has shown better signs this season, as Arsenal push for those Champions League places.
If the Gunners secure that fourth spot, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the player depart in the summer.
He may have signed a contract at the start of the campaign, but there was well-documented talk about him leaving before and after Euro 2020, but nothing materialised.
So, it will be interesting to see if somebody knocks on his door when the transfer window re-opens and whether Arsenal agrees to part ways with him.
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