Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka hit his lowest point for the Gunners nearly three years ago when he was stripped of his captaincy and left out of his side's Europa League squad for their clash against Portugal's Vitoria.
The decision by then manager Unai Emery came in response to controversy stemming from Xhaka's angry reaction to being booed by fans after being substituted in a home draw against Crystal Palace.
During the indecent, a frustrated Xhaka taunted home fans and removed his shirt when storming off the pitch after he was substituted. The Swiss international has since admitted he wanted to leave the club in that following winter’s transfer window.
Three years on though, such turmoil seems unrecognisable. His fortunes have been massively transformed at the club, and he’s now considered one of Mikel Arteta’s most important squad members.
His role and importance to this season’s squad was clear to see in Saturday’s impressive 3-1 North London derby win over Tottenham when the midfielder was quick to summon his fellow players over for a pep talk following Thomas Partey’s opening goal.
Xhaka himself got on the scoresheet in that game, netting the third and final strike to cap off what had been another impressive all-round performance from the 30-year-old.
Although we’re just eight games into the new season, Xhaka has already registered five Premier League goal contributions. He needs just one more goal or assist to match his tally for each of his last two full league campaigns combined.
His increased influence from an attacking point of view is thanks to the form of midfield teammate Partey whose dominating presence in the heart of the Arsenal midfield is allowing Arteta to hand Xhaka a role which sees him playing more like a number eight, rather than a number six.
Partey's dominance in that area was on display on Saturday when he finished the game having made more tackles and interceptions than any other Arsenal player.
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Xhaka when playing in that deeper defensive position in recent years was too often guilty of switching off which would lead to turning the ball over in dangerous areas or committing cheap fouls. Coming into this season, he’d picked up 51 yellow cards in just 186 Premier League matches.
Higher up the pitch though, these frailties in his game are far less exposed, while his strong technical skills are given a better platform to shine. Right now, he’s consistently showing an ability to take up useful positions in the attacking third, he is making well-timed runs and crucially, creating chances for his teammates.
All of this is evident in the underlying numbers. His overall touches have dropped from 68.2 per 90 last season to 61.8 in this, however touches in the penalty area are up from 1.74 per 90 to 3.63. His average in terms of shot-creating actions has also increased. In each of the last four seasons, he was posting a combined per 90 average of 2.12, however, it’s been an impressive 3.77 so far this season.
Arsenal’s new signings have attracted the bulk of the praise for the team becoming the Premier League’s early pacesetters, yet the above is capturing how Xhaka has been just as important to their early success and his turnaround across these last three years shouldn’t be overlooked.
