Xhaka Should Leave Arsenal – Mark Noble

Switzerland midfielder, Granit Xhaka might be at an unrepairable stage at Arsenal, according to Mark Noble.

Noble has now concluded that the player’s best option might be to quit the club.

Arsenal let a 2-0 lead slip for another game this season, drawing 2-2 with Crystal Palace yesterday the same way they did vs Watford earlier this season.

Xhaka was booed by fans when he reacted poorly to being substituted by throwing his armband and getting off the pitch slowly. He also cupped his ear to the crowd and swore at the supporters before he ripped his shirt and stormed down the tunnel.

Even if Mark Noble understood Xhaka’s reaction, he believes the relationship between him and the fans is damaged.

His words, “Granit has taken a lot of flak for his reaction,”

But I did have some sympathy for him.

“I know what it’s like when things are not going as well as you would like because, if you’re a manager or a captain, fans tend to aim more criticism at you.

“It’s a tough one and a fine line because you’re trying your best, but if you’re booed by your fans it is inevitable that your confidence will take a hit. I’ve had it myself, but the bottom line is that everything changes with results.

“Obviously, Granit has made mistakes and sometimes his discipline may not be the best, but the way I’ve always seen it is that the fans pay their hard-earned money, they go to the games and they have a right to express their opinion.”

“In all honesty, the best solution might be to tell his agent, ‘Look, they don’t like me here, so maybe it’s best if I go and play somewhere else,’” Noble added.

“There would be a lot of takers for him because he is a quality player and it does seem, from the outside, that his fellow players love him, both as a professional and a person. If I was him I would say, ‘I’ve had a great time here, but it’s not worked out recently and it’s time for a new challenge’.

“I remember Slaven Bilic telling me, ‘Once the box is open, it never closes’. The chances are that, if he makes one bad pass in the next match in which he plays, they’ll be on him again.”