Arsenal have confirmed that Granit Xhaka has suffered a significant injury to his medial knee ligament in his right knee.
While the midfielder doesn’t require surgery, the club says he’ll be missing for approximately three months; a month longer than the initial reports that we shared yesterday.
In essence, we won’t see Xhaka in Arsenal colours again until 2022, which is a huge blow.
Blogs discusses Mikel Arteta’s alternatives in this morning’s post which you can read that here.
Get well soon, Granit.
Get well soon, Granit.
Although I am truly gutted for him, I think we are well stocked to mitigate the impact of his loss.
For starters, I am curious to see how Sambi/ Partey partnership works.
This is so disheartening. Get well soon, Bro.🙏🙏🙏
Could Wilshere do a job there?
I’m assuming this is sarcasm.
Or irony
Er no, but maybe Saka could if we get desperate?
Move Bukayo away from the position from where he absolutely destroyed 5pur2 at the weekend, when we have perfectly capable deputies in AMN, El Neny and – particularly – Sambi? Are you mad?!?!
Word
‘if we get desperate’
The only way we get that desperate is if Lokonga, Maitland-Niles, Elneny, Odegaard, Smith-Rowe, Chambers, and Holding are all injured at the same time.
Careful, this is Arsenal we’re talking about here
Oh, smeg, I’ve jinxed us, haven’t I?
So now we’re down to Partey, Lokonga and Elneny as specialist midfielders. Plus AMN, Chambers and Tomiyasu – who probably aren’t at their best at CM (sorry AMN), but have all had extended runs there and shown they can play it to an ok standard
In a season without many midweek games, we’re still good depth wise
Just 1 more starting quality midfielder we’re lacking atm. Wilshere in 21/22 isn’t a starting quality CM (or Cazorla for that matter)
even tough he isnt one of my absolute favourites, hopefully he’ll recover quicker!
Same here. I’ve been one of Xhaka’s biggest critics, but I don’t like to see him getting badly injured, and I wish him well. However, there is a very real chance this team actually goes to another level with Xhaka sidelined. It has got to the point where people praise Xhaka to the hilt if he’s had a 7/10 and hasn’t done anything wrong. That is ridiculous, has he lowered our expectations that much? His vertical passing was more proactive this match, but come on. He nearly got two bookings in the first 20 minutes and could have had our… Read more »
Your second line says it all. I would have loved Xhaka going away this summer (even if it was Satan’s arms he was going into) just because of the fucking rabid fan base that loves to hate on him even when he’s taking hits on the field for this club. Seriously, guys. You should be ashamed. He is of limited ability but gives it his all. He loses it often (Lauren? Keown? Vieira? Bergkamp?) and has done himself no favours but he isn’t the worst player to don this jersey. Let’s please stop fucking picking on him all the time.… Read more »
However we see Xhaka, this is definitely a loss. Huge opportunity for Sambi and AMN to step up.
They often say that one players misfortune is anothers opportunity to stake a claim to the first team – question is who will take it? Sambi, AMN or will there be a new player purchased in January!!!
I’ve always been confident in first XI (even after the first 3 results) but I just have an uneasy feeling that we’re 2/3 injuries from a complete meltdown.
If Ödegaard or Smith-Rowe get injured, we have zero creativity, and if Partey gets injured we’re screwed.
Let’s keep our fingers cross no more serious injuries, especially during the dreaded interlull coming up.
To be fair 19 teams in the league are 3 injuries away from a meltdown.
And City are 15 injuries away from a meltdown
No excuses
Look at Liverpool without centrebacks
Didn’t they tank? Am I missing something?
Wish Xhaka speedy recovery and Sambi to show up. No more excuses for the management
Precisely. Wishing him a speedy recovery too as 3 months is very long for a guy like Xhaka. This will be the longest injury stretch in entire career by far.
Like you said, hopefully Arteta won’t be using this as a safety blanket.
The role Xhaka played against Spurs was a snippet of what Arteta sees in training. Arteta really cares about the club and will not play Xhaka if he is not very certain Xhaka can do the job.
When the injury occurred, I found myself thinking he could be out for 2 months and by the time he comes back, Sambi and Partey would have build a faultless partnership and the Tottenham performance would be our last tangible memory of him.
Look, I don’t want to kick Xhaka while he’s down, but we need to acknowledge that the best part of his performance against Sp*rs (controlling a difficult ball and quickly passing it forward) was very unlike his typical displays.
He would normally take five more touches to play the same pass. Xhaka’s been here what, five years? What he’s showing in training is completely irrelevant.
We’ve seen him enough to know his strengths and weaknesses.
One uncharacteristically good game is not going to change my opinion on someone who’s played virtually every game in our worst period in recent history.
You are doing exactly what you don’t want to be doing… Even if by your own admission his performance was unlike his typical displays you are sufficiently crucifying him for his constant availability and selection through our downward phase. Bellerin who is much more likeable and has been around for longer gets a mmm ok whatever… gets a pass. As does Rob Holding – a decent CB who has never quite made it as a starter. Laca a goal shy galactico for whom we let a club darling like Giroud go. Do you hold the rest of the squad to… Read more »
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t like Xhaka’s character. On the other hand, I like Bellerin and Holding quite a bit. Are either of them good enough? No, and I have no issues saying that. But you won’t see me say overly negative things about them – or any other Arsenal player, really – because neither of them disrespected the club by throwing the captain’s armband on the ground, nor are they a constant ticking timebomb, nor – crucially – are they picked to start every game come he’ll or high water. They seem like good guys,… Read more »
Big Big blow.
I think I speak for all gooners when I say, get well soon Granit. We need you and we miss you already 😞
Wow,you’ve changed your tune.Only yesterday you were “in no way disappointed” and calling him “very limited,average and a liability” that you “didn’t want around the squad”. And you called us fickle.😂😂
I guess I’m just like the rest of you, our opinions change like the weather.
Was hoping for a few thumbs up too 😉
Tongue firmly in cheek there. I don’t think anyone on here wants him injured but many don’t want him starting but at least at the moment we need him fit ASAP. I personally would like an upgrade and hope this injury doesn’t affect his resale value.
I never want to see an Arsenal player injured.
One of Arteta’s “non negotiables” seem to be that Xhaka is an automatic starter.
I believe that Xhaka holds the team back, so If he has to be injured for others to get a chance to show what they can do, and the team improves from it, I will not be disappointed by that.
If in 3 months time, the team is worse off, and Xhaka is in fact the glue holding the team together, we’ll cross that bridge. I guess stranger things have happened in football.
My issue is you calling Arsenal fans fickle in the article JUST before this one. Then you posting the above just to get likes. Get a grip man, it’s an Arsenal fans forum. Try and get those ‘likes’ in real life. Try and self-improve etc.
Come on Carlos keep up. That was a reference to all the Xhaka lovers fishing for likes on that same article, who wanted him in Italy only last month
And what about those of us who just want to support our players and our manager and have always done so? I’m not claiming to know this but I imagine you are someone who was in favour of him being booed and jeered off the pitch when he was captain of our team? Rather than hide behind the sarcasm, or accusing people of posting for the sake of being liked and then doing the very same yourself, why not just say what you really think?
Thanks for calling him out.
We as fans need to hold ourselves to a high standard. This is not Chelsea/Spurs/Utd.
We are The Arsenal.
When I said no one on here wants an Arsenal player injured that includes you. I wasn’t trying to infer that you want Xhaka injured.
Wouldn’t wish the injury on anyone and feel for him but he is not a loss to the first eleven. To the squad maybe as others could pick up knocks. He wasn’t instrumental in Sunday’s brilliant win.
Turned a possible 1:1 situation to 2:0, sparing Ramsdale’s blushes.
Continuously found Odegaard in space to wreak havoc in the first half.
You may need to watch the game again.
Did you even watch it in the first place?
Could have been sent off for two yellow card offenses, overhead kick from defence, Losing possession, lost possession a few more times, his passes that started goal moves were so fundamental and basic that if he didn’t make them, he shouldn’t be a professional footballer. He worked hard which again is a fundamental requirement. Please take off the blinkers. He offers nothing other than being a left footer and his apparently compelling personality to those around him. I watched the game mate.
I guess Hitzfeld, Wenger, Emery and Arteta all wear blinkers. Mourinho even.
If that was Partey continuously freeing Odegaard, you’d have been raving about pressure passes that put the Sp*rs in trouble all day.
But it’s Granit, and the dislike is real.
I guess they do wear blinkers too. I love this deffering to the specialists argument to counter completely valid criticism of a player who has offered nothing objectively obvious beyond what I stated above, I was saying the same about Denilson from the age of 15 – 18 and what happened there. Didn’t need experience or badges to identify a severe drop in quality. Please persist with your appeasement of mediocrity and leave me to my “dislike”
“A player who has offered nothing objectively obvious” – this is in itself subjective and influenced either by your own agenda, or how you understand football, and therefore entirely redundant and vacuous
Mediocre club > Asshole club
You saw what you wanted to see.
He upped his game, but since it was basic in your book (if not him that day your nan would have done it), maybe you should critique moves professionally and show us nincompoops the way.
I think this is the best time to sign jack Wilshere on a year deal ..with xhaka out till probably newyear. Elneny and partey to nation’s cup…it’s a no brainier
It’s never a good thing when we loose a player to a long term injury. Whatever the opinion is about Xhaka, its a blow and we can only wish him a speedy recovery. However, I have a funny feeling his injury will be a catalyst for Sambi and quite possibly Patino to accelerate their development with first team exposure. This injury may possibly pave the way for the future Arsenal midfield star to emerge. Lets see if its just me dreaming.
Injuries are always the catalyst for major squad changes under Arteta. I think we’ll probably see Ødegaard playing deeper for a few games. Hopefully he takes to playing as a CM well.
Get well soon Granit. In the meantime we have options, though none replicates exactly what he does. Lokonga, AMN, Elneny, Odegaard/ESR in front of Partey (à la Burnley), and even White or Chambers who have played at the base of midfield and done well there at other clubs.
Elneny and Partey are going to AFCON early next year. If Xhaka does not get fit by that time, we will be left with only AMN and Lokonga. Very worrying situation.
In that case it may have to be Lokonga at #4 and Ode+ESR as #8’s.
Or look to the academy, could it be an opportunity for Patino?
Not without a senior partner. But I wonder whether it might be better to call Azeez back from loan.
Yes, that’s probably right with Pepe coming in. Still can’t help but feel that we are on pretty thin ice. An injury or suspension could do us in.
Well Pepe (and Auba) will also be at the AFCON. January will be when squad depth will really show.
Shoot.. that Pepe and Auba would be away completely slipped my mind 🤐
White, chambers, Odegaard as well. Options all of them, not ideal, but we’ll manage (hopefully – Xhaka back would be a big help during that time though).
Sad news but thankfully not even worse, it’s always going to be a problem when a clumsy great sack of spuds lands on you, that was so unlucky. Wishing Granit a speedy and complete recovery, we’ll miss him.
The one thing about Xhaka is that he is always available when not serving a suspension. This should be very concerning because the other remaining senior starter is Partey. It’s always a surprise when he lasts a full 90 minutes and now we will need him fit for months.
Partey had Xhaka’s durability levels before he joined us. I’m sure he’ll get back to that with more frequent game-time.
With Xhaka’s experience regarding injury, I suspect he might be back earlier than the 3 months stated. Last time he was said to be injured for a certain period, I believe he was back in about half the time. I expect the club is using standard recovery timescale to predict his return… but I believe from past Xhaka injury experience it’s closer to the timescale from yesterday’s post.
Look what a wanker who was too light to stand on his feet caused.
Well, I’m glad another one assisted Saka’s goal by falling. Do they come on the pitch to play football or fall?
All the best Granit. Quick recovery pal.
I predict we will buy a new mid in the jan window. Perhaps from Brighton.
Isn’t he also going to be away at AFCON?
Oh no. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
First of all, I wish him a full recovery.
Secondly, I think this is an opportunity to finally move away from Xhaka.
Charlie Patino is left footed too.