‘You that have the player of His caliber yet you still sell Him,now the effect is showing clearly’: Kieran Gibbs suggests Arsenal shouldn’t have sold £22m star after Newcastle loss
Kieran Gibbs says the £40m absence in the middle of the park is proving to be a ‘big effect’ for Mikel Arteta following Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United.
Arsenal parted ways with the midfielder in the summer after he joined Bayer Leverkusen for £22m, who are top of the Bundesliga and their Europa League group, after starting the campaign unbeaten under Xabi Alonso.
With Granit Xhaka heading for the exit door, Arsenal decided to splash big money on the stagnating and struggling Kai Havertz from Chelsea, which caused a bit of a stir – he was dubbed a ‘flop’ before he could get going.
Kai Havertz started Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United, with Kieran Gibbs stating that his lack of form is now a ‘problem’, as he told ESPN.
The German international started instead of the absent captain Martin Odegaard and Gibbs added that Kai Havertz just ‘hasn’t worked out so far’.
It doesn’t help matters for Arsenal when they are watching Granit Xhaka smash it in Germany where Leverkusen could probably argue that they are the best team in Europe right now, as Gibbs suggested his transfer could have been a mistake.
Arsenal missing Xhaka
“I think the absence of Xhaka has actually (caused Arsenal’s attack not to be fluid),” said Gibbs. “He probably had his best season last season, let’s be honest, after a long spell at the club.
“I don’t think he was underrated last season. I just think he was appreciated more for what he was doing. He calmed down his antics with his fouls and stuff. He just cleaned up a lot of his game. I felt he was a really good link.
“He gave that balance, especially when Zinchenko came in last season and started to play inverted, it gave Xhaka a bit of a different role. I do think it is having a bigger effect on the team than most people think.
“I do think it’s a problem. I think Arteta wanted Havertz to fill that role. It hasn’t worked out so far. It’s still early enough in the season and it’s something he is going to look at.”
Arsenal sold Xhaka at the wrong time
It seems as though the player himself was pushing for a move, but Mikel Arteta should have done everything possible to keep him.
For years and years, the hard-hitting midfielder struggled at the Emirates and then he has an outstanding 18 or so months where he is one of his side’s best players.
And that’s when Arsenal decided to sell him when he was hitting the peak of his powers because he is now showcasing that under Xabi Alonso.
It’s not just what Xhaka provided on the pitch that was a big plus, but also his leadership skill and presence off it.
It’s still early days and it’s only one defeat for Arteta and Co, who could slip to fifth in the table by the time the weekend is out, that’s if other results go against them.
