Despite his sublime display in midfield for Arsenal against Brentford, Granit Xhaka has been told that he is 'irritating' by Garth Crooks. The former Tottenham Hotspur forward also bluntly said that he 'doesn't like' the Arsenal star.
Xhaka put in a classy display in midfield as Arsenal ran out 3-0 winners at Brentford, with the Switzerland international providing an exquisite assist for Gabriel Jesus' headed goal. Crooks recognised Xhaka's performance by including him in his Premier League Team of the Week, alongside his Gunners team-mates Aaron Ramsdale, William Saliba and Jesus.
The 29-year-old is benefitting from playing in a more advanced role this season, which is allowing him to influence the game in the final third - as highlighted with his eye-catching assist. However, in his BBC column, Crooks chose to give a brutal assessment of Xhaka rather than praising his performance.
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"I don't like Granit Xhaka," said Crooks.
"I find him confrontational, overly aggressive and altogether irritating. Nevertheless, on his day he's a very good player. He should have left Arsenal years ago. However, for some reason he has not only stayed at the club, but also occasionally wears the captain's armband, such is his popularity these days.
"Against Brentford he looked very impressive and so did Arsenal. I would like to know why Brentford didn't look up for this game, but the Gunners were so good I rather suspect that even if they had it wouldn't have changed anything - Arsenal were that good. Most worrying."
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