This summer transfer window is going to be a hugely important one for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta.
The north Londoners made big strides in the right direction this season but are ultimately set to miss out on the Premier League title to Manchester City. Closing the gap to City is the goal this summer and to beat Pep Guardiola, they need to think like him.
Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan was entering the final 12 months of his contract at the Etihad Stadium last summer but Guardiola made it clear that he would rather take the chance of losing the German international for free this summer than receive a small fee for him at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. Arsenal should take note of this approach when it comes to Granit Xhaka's future with the club.
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Xhaka will be into the final year of his deal with the Gunners this summer, with the club having the option to extend it by a further 12 months and the 30-year-old is said to be attracting attention from a number of clubs, most notably Bayer Leverkusen. It is claimed that Xabi Alonso and co are keen to sign the Swiss captain this summer, with German transfer guru Florian Plettenberg reporting that Arsenal value the player at around €15 million (£13 million).
Considering Xhaka's influence on the squad, this type of money just isn't worth the north London outfit sanctioning a deal. Arteta should follow the example set by his former mentor Guardiola and keep hold of his experienced midfielder, even if it means there is a slight financial loss this time next year.
Arsenal's squad remains an extremely young one, one that clearly needs as many leaders as they can get and Xhaka fits this bill. He is one of the only players in the team that have UEFA Champions League experience under his belt, a tool that will be useful next term after Arteta's side qualified for Europe's premier competition for the first time in seven years.
The Swiss international also offers something few other Gunners midfielders do, added security in defensive transition and a desire to constantly battle for second balls. It is no coincidence that the two league games he didn't start this term, the team suffered defensively, conceding three times against Southampton and twice against Bournemouth.
Of course, this is why Arsenal are so keen to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice. football.london understands that Rice is the club's priority signing for the summer window.
But the Hammers skipper should be there to supplement Xhaka, not completely replace him. The Gunners need depth all over the pitch to compete with City, this season has shown that one player in for one player out shouldn't be the strategy this summer.
Fabio Vieira, although supremely talented, is still very raw and it is clear that the Portuguese international's skillset makes him more of a Martin Odegaard backup than someone who should play the all-action left-sided no.8 role in Arteta's system. Rice would obviously bring flexibility to play that role as well but he would also likely be an option as the no.6, meaning Xhaka could be utilised alongside the England international.
This summer is the time to add to Arteta's squad and bring in a player like Rice. But the first XI shouldn't go out the exit door. Players like Xhaka still have a huge role to play next season and offloading him now for just £13 million could prove to be a huge mistake if a deal is sanctioned.
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