Granit Xhaka is one of the longest-serving current members of the Arsenal squad. Only Hector Bellerin and Mohamed Elneny have been with the senior side for a longer period of time.
His career has faced both big highs and serious lows. Little detail is needed as all Arsenal fans know exactly what these moments of euphoria and anger are, from both sides.
Despite facing persistent criticism for aspects of his game, the Swiss international and former club captain has maintained his starting place in Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and now Mikel Arteta’s starting XIs.
READ MORE: Why Arsenal are willing to pay £35m to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko amid questions over fee
In the time he has been with the club, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi, Dani Ceballos, Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga have all been brought in, yet Xhaka remains in the XI more often than not. It is difficult to imagine him on the bench or in rotation.
He has said he does not want to leave Arsenal, stating that only when he achieves ‘something special’ he would move on from the club he has spent most of his senior years as a player.
"I want to have a better relationship with the people outside, with the fans," Xhaka told The Player's Tribune. "To be closer with them. We never meet them, we never have a conversation with them. They are only seeing us on the pitch, for 90 minutes, and goodbye.
"They don't know how we trained before, they don't know how you feel, they don't know if you have problems with your family. They don't know a lot of points.
"After the season I still have two years contract here. I will give everything until I'm at this football club. I always say that. I didn't sign a new contract to be here for - enjoy my time and that's it. No, no, I want to achieve something with this club, something special. Before that, I don't leave."
However, one of the primary areas of need for Arsenal this summer has been in central midfield and the club have not been short of links to potential signings. The left eight position, and current role for Granit Xhaka, is clearly the area that Arteta and Edu have been aiming to upgrade, too.
Youri Tielemans has been the dominant name however Lucas Paqueta has been a more recently mentioned profile of interest to the Gunners. Yet with news that Oleksandr Zinchenko is close to signing for the club for a fee in the region of £30 million, the Ukrainian potentially presents further competition for Xhaka.
Despite predominantly featuring as a left-back at the club level, Zinchenko thrives in the midfield as a progressive and creative force for his national side. He has played centrally for Manchester City and starred in the 2-1 home win against PSG in the Champions League.
It is understood that Arteta sees Zinchenko as a force in both the defence and midfield. Xhaka’s place is, as it should be, under threat from the 25-year-old.
Should Xhaka be ousted from his starting role by Zinchenko, or even potentially further additions this summer, his promise to stay until something special is achieved might be put to the test. Both Roma and Hertha Berlin have been credited with interest in the part and an offer for more game time in the future might mean breaking his word in north London.
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