Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DEVASTATED Arsenal fans
Distraught Xhaka may ‘never be forgiven’ by
REPENTANT or not, Unai Emery fears Granit Xhaka may never be forgiven by Arsenal fans for dissing the captain’s armband.
Xhaka has cut such a disconsolate figure since his monumental strop after being substituted against Crystal Palace, the Gunners hierarchy have so far refrained from throwing the book at him.
And the Swiss midfielder (second from right, training yesterday) is so “devastated” by supporters turning on him, Arsenal are even prepared to offer him counselling.
For Xhaka, installed as skipper after Emery’s dressing room poll of the players, there appears no way back after his sarcastic conducting of the crowd’s jeers, mouthing “f**k off ” at a section of his critics and tearing off his shirt in a huff. He was also given the bird against Aston Villa.
And Emery, opting for kid gloves where most managers would have chosen iron fists, admitted: “My ideal future is to watch Xhaka playing again with every supporter supporting him.
“I don’t know if I can or will achieve it, but this is my idea. It is not easy for him and the team. He is devastated and sad. We can maybe remember some similar situations for players, and they came back.
“Hector Bellerin told how he received some criticism three years ago because people weren’t happy with his performance, but he came back.
“The important thing is to transmit to people if they don’t like you in one moment, to work to change that.”
Emery has spoken to Xhaka three times since Sunday’s debacle but is not prepared to say categorically whether his player would be stripped of the skipper’s armband.
He has consulted director Josh Kroenke, son of Gunners owner Stan.