Granit Xhaka has recently been handed a new role at Arsenal as one of the club's two deputy leaders to captain Martin Odegaard, and the decision has surprised some.
The Switzerland international once donned the armband himself at the Emirates, but a memorable on-pitch outburst led to then-manager Unai Emery stripping him of the role. On the brink of leaving the club soon after, Xhaka was convinced to stay by Mikel Arteta who has since rewarded him for his efforts.
While it is Norwegian midfield maestro Odegaard that is the official club captain, this gesture to make Xhaka a deputy leader, as per The Athletic, shows that his own leadership skills are not going unrecognised by his manager. There have been multiple examples of Xhaka being a force for good inside the dressing room shown on Arsenal's Amazon 'All or Nothing' series.
One standout moment came with one of Arsenal's young Gunners Emile Smith Rowe. A notoriously shy and reserved character, Xhaka is shown in one scene to praise the efforts of his teammate ahead of a huge North London Derby at home against Spurs last season.
"You're the future man. You're the future," Xhaka tells the England international. "I felt it from the first day, you're the future here. Imagine being Arsenal's number 10 and being captain in the future. Wow!"
His remarks produce a smile out of Smith Rowe, but the attacking midfielder is not the only young Arsenal star to come in for praise from Xhaka recently.
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Speaking about the man of the hour over at the Emirates, William Saliba, Xhaka gave a glowing review of the French defender's character in the aftermath of his own goal against Leicester last weekend.
"This is football," Xhaka told the Standard. "People only see the own goal but maybe, hopefully, they'll see what a game he had. This guy is 21. I think in his first game in the Premier League for Arsenal, he was unbelievable.
"You can see how… he looks like he is 30. He has discipline and big character. He is not so loud but he is a proper leader in my eyes. You can see he is amazing. He has a lot of quality and yeah, we forget the own goal because for 90 minutes he had a great, great game."
It is obvious for all to see that Xhaka remains a figure that many younger or inexperienced players turn to in times of crisis. That's not to suggest they must come to him, the Swiss star seems more than happy to opt for the 'arm round the shoulder' approach to break the ice with many of his teammates.
