Selling Granit Xhaka on the cheap would be a mistake

Granit Xhaka is like marmite: you either love him or you hate him.

The Swiss midfielder has long divided the Arsenal fanbase, and some supporters have never been able to forgive him for his angry outburst after he was booed off of the field at the Emirates Stadium back in October 2019.

But to the 28-year-old's credit, he's responded professionally and bounced back from what will have no doubt been one of the most challenging periods in his career. Xhaka made 31 appearances for Mikel Arteta's side in the Premier League last season and while the team as a whole had a disappointing campaign, it was the midfielder's personal best since he arrived in England.

He's been Arsenal's most consistent midfielder over the last nine months, even more so than last summer's £45m signing Thomas Partey, and deserves far more respect than he gets. His positional discipline has aided his boss in improving the team's spine and defensive structure.

In addition to that, his ability to drop deep and slot into the defence mid-game, filling holes left by his full-back, means the Gunners can be tactically flexible. While Xhaka has improved, he can certainly be upgraded on - but should that be a priority going into the summer?

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Italian giants Roma have opened talks with the north London club regarding the possibility of taking him to the Italian capital, with Jose Mourinho said to be keen on a move for the deep-lying midfielder.

Arsenal see the potential sale of Xhaka as a way of raising some much-needed transfer funds as they look to improve the squad and will demand a fee of approximately £21.5m from any interested parties - however, to prioritise his exit over that of others would be a huge mistake.

Dani Ceballos has already left the club and with question marks over the futures of both Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi, the Gunners need to be bolstering their central midfield options as opposed to saying goodbye to one of their best.

He's one of the natural leaders in the squad, never shirks responsibility and even after his position seemed untenable he continued to deliver to the best of his ability - a testament to his character.

Xhaka has a mistake in him from time to time and is often criticised for his lack of speed across the ground, sure, but with a young crop of players coming through at the Emirates Stadium he's exactly the type of character Arsenal need to keep around the place.

Hector Bellerin is also being linked with a move away this summer, another player who has received similar treatment from sections of the fans in recent seasons. If they're that bad, it begs the question as to why they're the only ones anybody is willing to pay any money for.