Arsenal journalist Charles Watts has named Granit Xhaka’s injury against Tottenham Hotspur as the ‘one downside’ from their derby day win.
The Gunners romped to a comfortable 3-1 victory over their north London rivals, following a scintillating first-half display during which they scored all of their goals.
Having missed the club’s last three matches due to a red card picked up against Manchester City, Xhaka returned to the middle of the park for Mikel Arteta’s men, but didn’t make it to the end of the game.
Can Arsenal rely on Granit Xhaka this season?
Yes
No
Sadly, a collision with Spurs’ Lucas Moura left the Swiss international with an injury as he was replaced by Albert Sambi Lokonga in the 82nd minute of the match.
Speaking on his own YouTube channel, Watts revealed that he spotted Xhaka ‘hobbling’ in the post-match celebrations and that he will likely have to go for a scan to work out the extent of the injury.
He said: “The one downside was Granit Xhaka’s injury. I thought Xhaka was great, by the way, yesterday.
“He was out on the pitch afterwards in the celebrations, Xhaka, but he was clearly hobbling, I think he’ll be seeing a specialist either today or tomorrow to really assess that.
“It depends on how big the swelling is around the knee, and once that goes down, obviously a specialist can have a scan and Arsenal will discover the true extent of that injury, but [a] bit worrying there.
TIF Thoughts on Granit Xhaka and Arsenal…
At one point over the summer, it looked as if the 29-year-old was certain to leave the club, with Roma most likely to sign him. However, no deal could be agreed and he remains with Arsenal for now.
After his rash dismissal against Man City, it would have been easy for Arteta to keep Xhaka out of the side as punishment, but it shows how much faith the Spaniard must have in the midfielder to put him right back into the team for such a big game.
In the end, his choice was vindicated, and with Arsenal finally starting to build up some momentum this season, Arteta will likely hope this injury won’t keep Xhaka out for very long.
On other news: ‘I’m utterly convinced’ – Watts tips ‘priority signing’ at Arsenal next summer