A number of senior Arsenal players are reportedly ‘appalled’ at the treatment of Granit Xhaka following his incredible outburst at the Emirates.
Xhaka’s substitution during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace was greeted by sarcastic cheers and the Gunners captain responded by throwing his arms in the air and cupping his ears.
The 27-year-old was then seen mouthing ‘f*** off’ at the home fans before he removed his shirt and stormed down the tunnel.
A number of Arsenal legends have slammed Xhaka for his stunning meltdown and urged Unai Emery to strip him of the captaincy.
However, according to The Sun, a number of senior Arsenal stars have taken Xhaka’s side and are ‘appalled’ at how frustrated fans have treated the Swiss midfielder.
Emery was quick to condemn Xhaka following the incident and said Arsenal would consider sacking him as captain.
But a number of Arsenal players have reportedly reacted badly to Emery’s comments and believe the captain should have received public backing from the manager.
Emery and Xhaka spoke on the phone on Monday, with the Gunners boss set to speak publicly about the situation on Tuesday ahead of the Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool.
Xhaka would likely have been rested at Anfield even before Sunday’s outburst but now Emery must decide whether to start the midfielder against Wolves next weekend.
While Xhaka is yet to speak out on the incident, Arsenal vice-captain Hector Bellerin has addressed the situation on social media.
He tweeted: ‘We are all humans, we all have emotions, and sometimes it’s not easy dealing with them.
‘It’s time to lift each other up, not to push each other away. We only win when we are together.’
