ARSENAL are better off WITHOUT Granit Xhaka, according to the statistics.
The Gunners captain, 27, was mercilessly booed during last weekend’s draw with Crystal Palace – before telling fans to “f*** off” as he stormed off the pitch.
1
Xhaka could be stripped of the captaincy as well as dropped for the next game against Wolves after the incident.
But according to the stats, that may well be for the best.
Under Unai Emery, Xhaka has played 50 times for Arsenal, winning just 26 of those matches – at a 52 per cent win-rate.
Without him, the Gunners have won 17 of their 22 games – boasting a far superior win percentage of 74.
Arsenal have also scored more with Xhaka off the pitch at 2.6 per game compared to 1.8 per game with him.
They’ve also conceded fewer, at 1.1 shipped per match as opposed to 1.3 with him in the team.
Xhaka is fully expected to miss out on this weekend’s game against Wolves after his outburst last weekend.
Having already missed the thrilling Carabao Cup loss at Liverpool he faces a long spell on the sidelines.
The Switzerland star stubbornly refuses to back down and apologise to Arsenal fans – despite Emery begging him to reconsider.
Arsenal are even offering Xhaka counselling after he was left miserable after his altercation with supporters.
Emery revealed: “We suggested he gave an apology. But in his mind he is not ready to do that because he is devastated inside.
“He is very upset. Granit knows he was wrong and when we make mistakes we need to apologise.
“But he feels that the supporters don’t like him, so now he needs to feel the love of his family, his friends and everybody else.
“But at the moment he is not feeling that with the supporters.”
