Arsenal are expecting to receive a bid from Atletico Madrid for Granit Xhaka with the Spanish club set to lose Rodri to Manchester City, so should they cash in on the Swiss star?
Pep Guardiola’s side are reportedly about to trigger the £62.5 million release clause in the 22-year-old Spaniard’s contract, leaving Diego Simeone on the hunt for a new defensive midfielder.
According to a report in the Mirror, Xhaka is a player of interest to Atletico, who may make a move for the Swiss international in the coming weeks as they look to bring in a replacement quickly, but should the Gunners allow him to leave?
The first thing to consider here is the fee Arsenal could get for Xhaka. The 26-year-old, who was bought for £35 million, has four years left on his current deal and has certainly increased in value since arriving in London.
That puts Arsenal in a very strong position to not only keep him but demand a handsome fee if Atletico’s interest in him is serious.
It is thought that Unai Emery is working with a tight transfer budget, so the money that could be brought in through the sale of Xhaka would give the Spanish manager much more freedom to sign the players he wants.
After getting three years of service from the former Borussia Monchengladbach man and then making a big profit when moving him on, it would be seen as a good investment from a business point of view.
However, from a football point of view, it seems unlikely that Arsenal would sell a player who was a favourite of the manager last season. Xhaka played 40 times in all competitions and even captained the side on five occasions.
Despite the criticism he gets for inconsistent performances and errors, the Basel-born midfielder is a regular in the team and is said to be a big character in the squad behind the scenes, so his departure would be a huge disturbance.
For a team already heavily questioned for their mentality and togetherness, losing a leader and experienced member of the set-up wouldn’t be ideal.
Just as he has done throughout his time with the Gunners, though, deciding whether or not to sell him will split opinion within the Arsenal fanbase. There are those who believe he makes them a better side, whereas others see him as a figurehead of this underwhelming era in Arsenal’s history.
A section of those fans will be glad to hear that the club have no plans to sell, but the others will be hoping a big money bid is enough to change Arsenal’s stance, but until that happens, the future of the divisive midfielder will remain up in the air.
