‘Big dent’… Pundit says Arsenal are now really missing £30m player Edu sold

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Arsenal are in a real state of flux at the moment.

One minute they’re looking like true title challengers, they’re grinding out big wins against the likes of Manchester City and showing real grit.

However, this season, Arsenal still don’t feel like they’re clicking. The results are there, but the performances aren’t necessarily following.

Their attack looks blunt at times, and their midfield is lacking the real drive and gumption we saw last season.

Speaking on TalkSPORT (9/11/23 6:40AM), Adrian Clarke has been dissecting some of Arsenal’s showings this season, and he reckons that Arsenal aren’t only missing Gabriel Jesus at the moment, but they’re also missing Granit Xhaka after the Gunners sold the £30m midfielder in the summer.

Arsenal missing Xhaka

Clarke gave his verdict on Arsenal’s situation.

“Yeah, I think a lot of it is to do with Gabriel Jesus’s absence. He’s played in all three Champions League games until last night and Arsenal have been excellent in those by and large.

“I think he brings a chaos factor that no one else can, I think he’s got a little bit more.

“But, you’re right, they haven’t been as fluid, they haven’t been as cohesive as they were last season.

“Obviously, Xhaka leaving has made a big dent in the team and they’ve not really found the solution yet to who comes in for him.”

Not been replaced

Clarke is absolutely right, Arsenal are missing Xhaka, and that’s because they’ve failed to replace him.

Declan Rice has come in, but he’s been playing more of a holding role than Xhaka ever did, while only Mikel Arteta knows what Kai Havertz’s role is supposed to be in this team.

Xhaka did such a fantastic job last season in knitting together the gap between the defence and the attack, but this term, that ability to make things happen in the final third and overwhelm opposition defences just isn’t there.

Arsenal are missing Xhaka, and it’s not outrageous to suggest that they sold him a tad too early.