West Ham United captain Mark Noble has offered his “solution” to Granit Xhaka’s problems at Arsenal.
The Englishman feels that maybe the best thing for Xhaka to do is leave the Gunners.
The Swiss international reacted furiously towards the Arsenal fans as he was booed and jeered whilst being substituted against Crystal Palace at the Emirates last weekend.
Xhaka has since revealed that he and his family received heavy abuse on social media and Noble feels moving on could solve his issues. As quoted on his weekly column on the Evening Standard, Noble said:
Granit is one of those players who wears his heart on his sleeve and it’s tough for him at the moment.
In all honesty, the best solution might be to tell his agent, “Look, they don’t like me here, so maybe it’s best if I go and play somewhere else”. There would be a lot of takers for him because he is a quality player and it does seem, from the outside, that his fellow players love him, both as a professional and a person. If I was him I would say, “I’ve had a great time here, but it’s not worked out recently and it’s time for a new challenge.
Is Noble right?
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It is no surprise that Xhaka snapped last weekend after the abuse that has been directed towards him and his family. That sort of behaviour from so-called ‘fans’ is unacceptable and has no place in football or society.
Xhaka has always had a rocky relationship with most Arsenal fans and in some ways, leaving the club could help him to focus more on his performances on the pitch.
However, leaving Arsenal could see him take a huge step backwards in his career, so what he does next is crucial. It’s clear that Noble feels there’s no way back for the relationship to be repaired.
