Charlie Nicholas exclusive: There is no way back for Granit Xhaka at Arsenal - it is over
Former Arsenal forward Charlie Nicholas has slammed Granit Xhaka following Sunday's draw with Crystal Palace, stating that 'there is no way back for him'.
Xhaka was replaced by Bukayo Saka on the hour mark, a move that was greeted with cheers from the Emirates Stadium crowd and a furious response from the midfielder.
The 27-year-old swore at the Gunners' supporters as he left the pitch before removing his shirt and heading straight down the tunnel.
Gunners boss Unai Emery has stated that he will sit down with Xhaka to discuss both the captaincy and the Swiss midfielder's future at the club.
Nicholas, a League Cup winner during his five-year stint for Arsenal in the 1980s, believes that the now-strained relationship between all parties will lead to Xhaka's departure from the club - although he acknowledges the player's popularity in the squad.
"First things first. It is obvious I am not his greatest fan, and there are a lot like me out there - I do not wish that on any player," Nicholas said.
"It is a horrible position for any player to be in. Granit Xhaka was nominated by his teammates for the captaincy and it was his teammates that put him in that position.
"He is obviously a popular guy in the dressing room, which stands for good merit. Teammates must stick together, but the reality is that he must face his responsibilities as captain and understand the expectation of what the fans want from him.
"His Arsenal teammates are behind him. They are not going against the opinion of the fans, and they know they are not enjoying the team at the moment, but the players are together and they are stronger together."
Xhaka's relationship with the Arsenal fans continues to deteriorate, peaking with that furious response to the tactical switch against Palace.
Nicholas draws similarities between Xhaka and former Gunners midfielder Aaron Ramsey, now at Juventus, stating that both have been targets for the Arsenal faithful.
"Arsenal fans look for a scapegoat and once they find one they are going to pick at them," Nicholas continued.
"They did it with Aaron Ramsey for a while until they realised he ran, tackled and scored goals for Arsenal. Arsene Wenger took all the hits and aggression as a manager, with the players taking a few bits here and there.
"Fans realise the standards have dropped. They are still good going forward but it is the same patterns and mistakes that have been there for last five years in the defensive areas.
"Fans are going after a player or two, with some young players in there, so it falls to the likes of Xhaka. He has conceded the most fouls in the Premier League, he gives penalties away and gives the ball away.
"He has a smashing left foot and is good at shooting - he is a talented player, but the fans know he should come out of the team.
"That is where the problem lies with the manager. It is up to him to take him off. Xhaka made a statement on Sunday that he was stronger, bigger and better than the fans. Oh no - you do not do that.
"He should have taken the medicine, as much as it hurt for a day or two, took the criticism and just walked off with his head down. We all get criticism, even Lionel Messi, but it is how you react to it."
That reaction could be the final act for Xhaka, in Nicholas' view, and he believes that an apology will make no difference to the player's future at the Emirates.
"There is no way back for him. It is over. It was already over," he stated.
"If he apologises, it will be like he has been forced to do it. Everywhere online will have the apology of it, but it will have been forced.
"It was the cupping of the ear, the swearing, the shirt being taken off, the walking down the tunnel - it was the complete package of how it was dealt with.
"It is the fascination of why Arsenal want to turn up and watch the team. Quite a few teams will buy him in January. It was as clear-cut to me on Sunday as it is to me today, there is no way back for him.
"It is how Emery, the board and staff are thinking they are going to handle it. Xhaka may have had enough - he is trying his best and if they don’t like it, so be it.
"Ramsey had a period where he hit a hard time, quite a few players were getting it at times. I have not seen anything quite as potent as Sunday or on such a high percentage level as to vent their anger and aggression at a player that easily. I am reading today that he left before the final whistle.
"I think someone at the club should have got something out there the night it happened, maybe saying that he should be home and contemplating what he is going to do."
The captaincy will see Xhaka high in Emery's plans, but Nicholas holds the view that the midfielder's performances have not warranted as spot in the Arsenal line-up.
"Xhaka has been taken off again by Unai Emery for a reason, and the reason was because he wasn’t performing," Nicholas said.
"Why does the manager keep starting him? Emery keeps picking him - the players picked the captain not Emery, he doesn’t have to start.
"Xhaka playing alongside Mateo Guendouzi has not worked since he came in and it still isn’t working now and he refuses to look at Lucas Torreira."
While an apology may come, Nicholas expects a departure in the coming months, with the January transfer window open in nine weeks' time.
"Xhaka is with the mind that the fans do not want him here. November is nearly here, he has two months left and then he will be out in January," Nicholas concludes.
"Will he play again? No. What authority does it give when other players are getting a hard time?
"Calum Chambers has been under so much scrutiny but you have to have thick skinned and have a mental protection for yourself.
"The whole idea of the apology changing things is rubbish. It is a done deal. It is over. There is no gesture that can be accepted here. He is small fry in comparison to what they turn up for.
"The fans have a right to an opinion. They turn up and pay their money to see their team. There are probably a few players they dislike and they may not like some performances, but that is the love of football.
"In this circumstance there is nothing there. He is out of the door and will be training for the next couple of months with Mesut Ozil. This is the reality of where Arsenal are.
"They have a great opportunity to be fighting for the top-four and are giving Chelsea and Leicester hope. They are stuck in a rut and things need shaking up. They have been protected under the Wenger management.
"Fans are saying that they need to show some fight and stand up and be counted. You don’t get that with the current Arsenal side.
"It is guaranteed that it will take Xhaka time to recover mentally from this. He will not be a ‘Gooner’, but a ‘gonna’."
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