Paul Merson told Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports (19/12/20 at 12:30 pm) that players like Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka could get Mikel Arteta the sack.
The outspoken pundit was making reference to Xhaka’s sending off against Burnley last week and how his actions during that Arsenal defeat could land his manager in hot water from those in the boardroom.
Xhaka missed Arsenal’s defeat to Everton last night because he was serving a three-match suspension – and in truth, more players could be added to Merson’s list given the performance some of these players are putting in.
But prior to that Everton game, Merson claimed that you can’t have eleven Xhaka’s on the pitch even though the perception is that the team would fight even more for the cause.
“It’s the one in the pub again, isn’t it?!,” said Merson. “If we all had eleven Xhaka’s we would all be alright, ‘no you wouldn’t!’ You wouldn’t!’.
“You cannot have that. People like that, without being horrible, they get the manager the sack.”
This time last season, a lot of Arsenal fans felt that Xhaka, who joined the club for £30 million in 2016 [BBC Sport], would be heading for the exit door in January following that infamous moment against Crystal Palace.
Arteta played a big part in the combative midfielder staying put, and for a period of time, he performed well for the club.
But once again, it has gone wrong for the former Arsenal captain, who is potentially looking at the January transfer window again to leave because it seems as though that would be the best option.
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