Gunners midfield gem Granit Xhaka has admitted that he would be ‘incredibly proud’, if being given the captain’s armband for next season amid transfer interest from Inter Milan.
Arsenal finished in fifth place on the Premier League after Unai Emery’s first season in charge of the club and they also finished up as runners up in the Europa League final. The Spanish boss still has a massive task on his hands in the summer over deciding the fate of those players that will remain or not at the club.
There has to be some assertiveness at Arsenal because there were quite a few players that wore the captain’s armband last season and there was hardly any constant. Emery has decided that there will be a permanent captain for next term and Granit Xhaka has thrown his name into the hat following his latest comments.
The Swiss international has a contract with the North London club until 2023 but has also been tipped to leave the Emirates as a target for Serie A club Inter Milan.
Xhaka spoke to reporters ahead of the UEFA Nations League Clash and said, “Hoping for me is not the right word. Would I be incredibly proud & like to lead the team as captain? Absolutely, but I try, even without the armband, to be a leader & take responsibility. I’m a leader in a top-five team in the strongest league in the world. We ended the season only two points behind third, we were in the final of the Europa League & were a win away from being in the Champions League. I see ourselves a club in a very healthy position. I still have a long-term contract here. I am currently feeling very good, both professionally & personally.”
Since arriving at the Emirates from German club Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016, Xhaka has had quite a mixed bag of reactions. Some have praised his passing ability while others have criticized his inability to defend on certain occasions.
