Football can be a funny old game and Arsenal fans know that better than most.
Over the years, their emotions, from Arsene Wenger to Mikel Arteta, have swung around like a roundabout and you just don’t know where Arsenal were heading, at times.
Yes, now there is stability and they are pushing for the Premier League title once more ahead of the new season.
But once upon a time, that wasn’t the case and one man truly summed up Arsenal as a football club.
Not many would argue that Granit Xhaka, who is now at Bayer Leverkusen, was a marmite-like figure in the Premier League and he went from zero to hero during his time at the Emirates.
Just as Xhaka was showcasing life and serious performances for Arsenal, he left, moved back to Germany, signed for Xabi Alonso and won a historic Bundesliga title with Leverkusen.
And now at Euro 2024, he is doing wonders in the colours of Switzerland because Alan Shearer thinks he is ‘bossing’ it for his country in the middle of the park, as he told Match of the Day on BBC One.
The former striker thinks Xhaka is ‘running the midfield’ and he proved that as the Swiss knocked out the reigning champions Italy.
Now that very same player and his Switzerland side will come up against England in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on Saturday.
Granit Xhaka at Euro 2024 for Switzerland
“Everyone knows their job, you could tell that how well organised and how well drilled they were, when they wanted to press, they all went and were fit enough to do that,” said Shearer.
“When you are on the ball. You have to have quality and they certainly had that. Xhaka ran and bossed the midfield.
“Everything was so simple. He just kept the ball moving. They couldn’t get near him. Every time they come for him, he passed it on, they were too late and slow.”
Granit Xhaka v Declan Rice
Arsenal fans never got to see the duo play in midfield together because they entered and left during the same summer transfer window.
But they will get to see how they compete and fair when they lock horns on Saturday for their respective teams.
READ MORE: ‘Get away…’ Sam Allardyce delivers harsh truth to England’s Bukayo Saka at Euro 2024
Xhaka is the man in form, both at club and international level.
Yes, Declan Rice has the quality and has been brilliant for Arsenal during the recently concluded season, but he hasn’t been able to transform that form onto the international stage as England struggle.
The post ’They couldn’t get near him’: Alan Shearer says player Arsenal sold is 'bossing' it at Euro 2024 appeared first on HITC.
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