Former Arsenal midfielder, Kieran Gibbs, has insisted that midfielder Granit Xhaka’s departure is causing problems for the Gunners.
Gibbs believes Arsenal should have avoided offloading Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer after their recent Premier League 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United over the weekend.
Speaking to ESPN, Gibbs said, “I think the absence of Xhaka has actually [caused their attack not to be fluid].
“He probably had his best season last season, let’s be honest, after a long spell at the club.
“I don’t think he was underrated last season. I think he was appreciated more for what he was doing.”
He added, “He calmed down his antics with his fouls and stuff. He just cleaned up a lot of his game. I felt he was a really good link. He gave that balance, especially when Zinchenko came in last season and started to play inverted, it gave Xhaka a bit of a different role.
“I do think it is having a bigger effect on the team than most people think. I do think it’s a problem. I think Arteta wanted Havertz to fill that role. It has not worked out so far.”