Mikel Arteta‘s £21 million mistake with Arsenal is causing him to be haunted.
With Arsenal stuttering in the Premier League title race, Mikel Arteta might be starting to regret his decision to allow one of his key players to leave the club last summer.
The Gunners led the Premier League table for much of the season, but were unable to prevent Manchester City from earning a third consecutive league title.
This season, Arteta’s side started the season as favourites, but a spate of disappointing defeats in recent weeks has seen them fall five points behind league leaders Liverpool and exit the FA Cup.
Part of Arsenal’s problems stem from midfield, where they were extremely dominant previous season.
Mikel Arteta’s £21 million mistake with Arsenal is causing him to be haunted.
Last season, Arsenal’s midfield was led by Thomas Partey, with Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka filling the number eight positions on either side of him.
Xhaka left the club last summer following seven exciting seasons at the Emirates Stadium, joining Bayer Leverkusen in a £21 million transfer.
Xhaka was not always a key figure in North London; he appeared set to leave in 2019 after clashing with teammates and Arsenal fans.
However, he impressed as a left-sided number eight last season, scoring seven goals and giving seven assists in 37 league games.
The near-constant midfielder influenced games not just through his own direct contributions, but also by combining brilliantly with Gabriel Martinelli and allowing room for the Brazilian winger to flourish on the left flank.
Xhaka has yet to score a league goal for Leverkusen, but he has played every minute for the team that now sits above Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Xhaka’s departure caused Arteta to reconsider, and he has yet to find a suitable replacement. Declan Rice, a £105 million summer signing, has played the ‘Xhaka role’ at times this season, alongside Leandro Trossard and Emile Smith Rowe.
According to one Twitter data set, Arsenal’s ball progression has suffered without Xhaka.
To be fair to Arteta and Arsenal, Xhaka believed it was time for him to leave.
“The fact is that as a person, I am always interested in new challenges,” the Swiss international explained.
“After seven years, it’s time for something completely different.” Although the league is not new, the club is. During discussions with Simon Rolfes [Leverkusen sporting director] and Xabi Alonso, I felt that the long-term ambition at Leverkusen was worthwhile and completely aligned with my interests.”
Arteta isn’t the type of coach to stop players from leaving if they want to, but considering his team’s current troubles, a part of him probably wishes he’d done more to convince Xhaka to stay.
