Xhak-Blocked: Why an Extension for Granit is Unproductive

Since the beginning of the summer, Granit Xhaka’s departure to Roma has seemed inevitable. Fans had mentally prepared for life after No. 34 and have spent the summer dreaming of new midfield stalwarts taking his place. However, due to Roma’s continued refusal to match Arsenal’s rather meager valuation of €20 million for the veteran midfielder, Arsenal now plan to offer their player a contract extension as first reported by The Athletic.

For a while, it appeared that Arsenal had two choices regarding Xhaka: lose him now for an unacceptably low fee, or lose him in two years for nothing. In that instance, it is completely understandable for the club to take the relatively small financial hit and keep Xhaka for themselves during his prime years before he leaves as a free agent. But they now appear to have unnecessarily selected a third, and for multiple reasons, more costly option.

Up until the previous few days, it was common knowledge that Arsenal were on the hunt for a starting-caliber central midfielder. They had been linked to Yves Bissouma to open the transfer window, before Ruben Neves’ name was floated in a fresh round of rumors. After that, news broke that Manuel Locatelli had been approached, but the Sassuolo man reportedly has his heart set on joining Juventus. Eduardo Camavinga and Renato Sanches have also come up in transfer gossip during the window. In the past few days, Bruno Guimarães of Lyon has emerged as a target for Arsenal, and Jean-Michel Aulas is already driving up the price.

All of these players were meant to replace Xhaka if acquired. But obviously, there is no need to replace Xhaka if he stays at the Emirates for several more years. That likely means that Arsenal would refrain from bringing in a marquee signing in that area of the pitch despite clearly needing one. Maybe they would instead focus on going big for players in other positions; moves for Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez and Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison might become more plausible in this case. But such a positive consequence of keeping Xhaka in north London is far from a certainty.

Xhaka is undoubtedly a good player. He just put on a display at the Euros that saw him earn a place in the official team of the tournament, including a Man of the Match performance as Switzerland sent France packing in the first knockout round. He was a crucial part of Mikel Arteta’s setup last season, and played more passes into the final third than any other outfield player in the Premier League. He is universally respected as a leader in the dressing room, and was club captain until he swore at fans during that infamous Crystal Palace match. In light of Thomas Partey potentially missing time through injury to start the season, having Xhaka at the club to steady the ship will prove beneficial in the short term.

But the Swiss midfielder is also rather limited as a player. Outside of being a tremendous passer, a lieutenant on the pitch, and constantly available for selection, Xhaka leaves a lot to be desired in terms of his ability to dominate space. He doesn’t get up and down the pitch quickly either, and therefore tends to play from deeper than Arteta would perhaps like. Thus, Xhaka is an easy target for opposing teams to press, as he can’t beat a man and tends not to be too far away from his own goal. While he and Partey worked well together this past season, Arsenal clearly need an upgrade in order to have a truly top-four-quality midfield.

Furthermore, Arsenal are in a state of metamorphosis. The club has tied down its young stars in Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli, Kieran Tierney, and Folarin Balogun. It has signed more players in the same age range, such as Gabriel, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and now Ben White. The majority of the club’s transfer targets this summer have been between 21 and 24 years old. Arteta and Edu are clearly attempting to foster a new generation of talents at Arsenal.

Xhaka will soon be on the wrong side of 30. At a time when Arsenal are getting younger and more dynamic, retaining a player like Xhaka for longer than just the extent of his current contract might pose an obstacle to those aims. Partey is 28 and the club have already committed the next several years to him. However, Lokonga will likely function as his long-term replacement. Xhaka is almost a year older and no player in the squad, let alone a pre-prime one as Arsenal would probably like, currently possesses a skill set that allows them to succeed him. If Xhaka’s contract is extended, that will probably be the case for a while longer, leaving Arsenal in a precarious position at one of the most critical areas of the pitch. It will also ensure that while Arsenal’s defensive and forward options progress in level and style, their midfield will not for quite some time. Arsenal have an organic opportunity to move on from a player who has served them well but does not offer what they need to compete for top honors. In offering an extension, they are shutting the door on that opportunity themselves.

There are also off-the-pitch concerns to consider as well. For years, Arsenal have fallen into the trap of giving big contracts to players at the end of their careers and then being helpless as those players let their deals run down before leaving for free. While Xhaka is unlikely to ever be someone whom the club essentially pays to do nothing à la Sokratis or Sead Kolasinac, the continued practice of giving footballers their last big contracts is simply not good process. If Arsenal wish to get smarter as a club, they need to make better decisions on all fronts. That means not handing new deals to players at the end of their 20s, outside of those players being truly generational talents.

This is especially true now, as evidenced by Roma’s reported interest in Teun Koopmeiners and Thomas Delaney. Roma retreating from the negotiation table the moment news broke of Arsenal’s desire to extend Xhaka’s contract demonstrates that very few clubs outside of the Premier League can afford the midfielder for the price Arsenal are asking. Therefore, tying Xhaka down until 2025 as Fabrizio Romano has reported doesn’t ensure he will depart in a year or two for a higher fee. On the contrary, it means that Arsenal have anchored themselves to yet another player they will have trouble getting rid of long after he becomes surplus to requirements.

Arsenal face a difficult decision in choosing between acquiescing to Roma’s paltry offerings for one of their most reliable players or simply hanging on to him as long as is contractually permissible. In a transfer market decimated by the pandemic, in which bigger clubs have had a much easier time buying than selling, perhaps keeping Xhaka for now is the right thing to do. Thanks to a tackle by Mateo Kovačić that was about as clean as a convertible at the bottom of a bayou, Arsenal are without their other midfield veteran for at least the beginning of the season. Things have suddenly gone relatively quiet regarding the club’s search for a new central midfielder. It is far from unimaginable that Arsenal are considering waiting for a specific target to become available or more attainable, and view Xhaka as a good stopgap until then. In any case, Xhaka remaining in N5 makes sense for the near future.

However, going so far as to give Xhaka a contract extension will stunt the progression of the Arsenal rebuild. Within the next few years, Arteta’s squad must become more dynamic, more flexible, and more modern if his project is to reach fruition. Retaining Granit Xhaka after he turns 30 is a hinderance to that aim. Let him fill the spot for now while he’s in his prime. Let him help make up the numbers after a fresh face comes in to take his place. But Arsenal cannot make him a key piece of their next great team, or the greatness of that side will be just as limited as he is.

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