‘Absolutely outstanding’: Merson now wowed by Arsenal player he once felt was useless

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Arsenal legend Paul Merson has told Sportskeeda that Granit Xhaka has been “absolutely outstanding” this season.

The Gunners midfielder is currently in the form of his life, having helped Arsenal go top of the Premier League table.

Xhaka has also helped Mikel Arteta’s side stay top of Group A in the Europa League, with three wins from three.

The Switzerland international has become an undroppable figure in the heart of the Arsenal midfield.

Playing further forward, Xhaka has registered two goals and three assists from the middle.

Ahead of Arsenal heading to Leeds United this weekend, Merson commented about the 30-year-old.

“Granit Xhaka has been absolutely outstanding this season,” he wrote on Sportskeeda.

“He’s been played further forward, and he’s been reliable – all of them have been.

“Arsenal haven’t carried one player this season, and every player has been playing well every week.”

From ‘I don’t know what he’s bringing’ to ‘absolutely outstanding’

Xhaka’s time at the Emirates has seen him go from hero to zero and back again – a real redemption arc.

He was captain, then fell out with the fans, lost the armband and was on the verge of leaving.

Xhaka stuck around, but he continued to split the fanbase.

Indeed, Merson himself criticised the £35million man previously.

In September 2019, he told Sky Sports’ The Debate, via football.london: “I honestly sit here and I don’t know what he brings to the party.

“He doesn’t score a goal, he doesn’t have assists, he gets booked, he makes rash challenges, he gives away cheap penalties, he doesn’t sit in front of the back four as a number six to break things up.

“If you asked me what has he got, I’d say he’s got a hard shot. I don’t want to be disrespectful but I’ve got to say I don’t know what he brings.

“I’d like to sit down with him and it might be the case where he thinks he needs to do it, maybe he doesn’t trust the others to do it, but it’s gone past the stage where Arsenal fans go home and say ‘I wish we had more players like Xhaka, players who give their all’.

“The penalty, you wouldn’t expect to see that on a Sunday morning. When it happened I wondered if he slipped but he hadn’t and it was rash. I watched the game the other week where he got booked with five minutes to go and it was a silly booking.

“Now he’s got three bookings already and he’ll have five before you know it, then he’ll have a ban. I get frustrated because he’s got the size, he’s got everything, but I don’t know what he’s bringing.”