Martin Keown has explained why he believes Unai Emery is partly responsible for Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka’s shocking meltdown.
Xhaka threw his arms up in the air and cupped his ears after his substitution during Sunday’s Premier League draw with Crystal Palace was greeted by boos.
As the noise around the Emirates intensified, Xhaka was seen mouthing ‘f*** off’ at the home fans and removed his shirt before storming down the tunnel.
Arsenal are now considering whether to strip Xhaka of the captaincy. He was handed the armband at the end of last month but Keown says that was a mistake from Emery.
‘Sunday was not the first time Granit Xhaka has been jeered by his own fans,’ Arsenal legend Keown told the Daily Mail.
‘It happened on September 22 too, when Aston Villa visited. Villa were leading 2-1 at the time, then Xhaka was substituted and serenaded by boos.
‘Arsenal, despite being down to 10 men, went on to win 3-2 without the midfielder. Then five days later, Unai Emery names Xhaka as captain anyway.
‘Emery is as much to blame as anyone. If you let the players pick their skipper, then it becomes a popularity contest and that is not what leadership is about.
‘I’ve never had a manager who decided the captaincy that way and, for me, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is still the safer bet.’
Xhaka is yet to speak out on the ugly scenes that unfolded at the Emirates but Hector Bellerin has taken to social media to offer his support.
The Arsenal vice-captain said: ‘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.’
