Arsenal have held talks about selling Xhaka, admits Emery
Former captain misses today’s game at Leicester I do not know if he will play again, manager adds
Unai Emery has said he does not know if Granit Xhaka will play for Arsenal again as he revealed there had been discussions with the club hierarchy about selling the midfielder in January.
Xhaka was stripped of the captain’s armband this week and will again be left out of the squad for today’s meeting with Leicester City after he said he was still not willing to play for the club.
Emery said the fallout over the Xhaka situation, which started when the midfielder reacted angrily to being booed by his own supporters last month, had “not helped” the team’s performances.
He added that Arsenal were weaker without Xhaka but said the Switzerland international needed to be mentally ready to “defend the Arsenal shirt” before he could return. The Leicester match will be Arsenal’s fourth consecutive game without Xhaka.
“As a coach, I have a responsibility for the team,” said Emery. “We need a player like Xhaka. But also I don’t know if he is going to play again. I don’t know if he is available in his mind to continue helping us and continue defending the Arsenal shirt, I think time is giving us that solution.” Arsenal are already short in midfield after Dani Ceballos was ruled out because of a hamstring injury picked up in midweek.
“After Ceballos’s injury, we have one less player to use in the midfield and we now do not have a lot of players to play in this position,” Emery said. “It is important to stay now without Xhaka but I don’t know – maybe he can play in the future, maybe he cannot play. ”
Asked if he had spoken with the club about selling Xhaka in January, he said: “Yes, I asked that question. The club knows the player’s decision at the moment and my decision or my idea about that situation.”
Emery’s side have surrendered a lead in four consecutive matches and could end the weekend nine points off the top four. The Spaniard described the Xhaka situation as another “circumstance” that had hindered the team this year, asking the supporters to be patient. Arsenal have also had to deal with the acrimonious departure of Laurent Koscielny and the attempted robbery of Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac in pre-season.
Asked if he was disappointed with the season so far, Emery said: “I’m not really disappointed with our work. I am being realistic because some circumstances did not help us to achieve the best emotional balance.”