‘He did incredible’: Kevin Campbell thought Arsenal player was pure class despite defeat

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Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has told Stadium Astro that Granit Xhaka deserved praise despite a 2-1 defeat for the Gunners.

The Switzerland midfielder returned to action after picking up a knee injury back in September.

He started the game alongside Thomas Partey in the Arsenal engine room and lasted the full 90 minutes.

Xhaka has often divided the fan base. In 226 appearances he’s certainly had his ups and downs in the red and white of Arsenal.

In recent times he has proved an important player. Last night, however, he couldn’t help Arsenal get back to winning ways.

Campbell felt that Xhaka did well though, despite a late defeat for Mikel Arteta’s team.

He told Stadium Astro: “I thought Xhaka did alright. He did okay. In fact, I thought he did incredible to last the full game.”

The 29-year-old was heavily linked with a move away from Arsenal in the summer.

That was music to the ears of some supporters, so when he signed a new contract it did come as something of a shock.

Many still believe that decision was a bad one and Xhaka’s challenge is to keep proving them wrong.

Arsenal problems run deeper than Xhaka

Consistency has crippled Arsenal since Arteta took over as the club’s manager.

Xhaka has been a pretty steady performer under the Spaniard and the issues lie in the final third.

Arsenal need someone to step up to the plate when it comes to scoring goals, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggling massively.

Alexandre Lacazette’s form has also fallen off the radar this season and Arteta has work to do in the transfer market.

Xhaka played well last night but Arteta’s biggest challenge is getting a tune out of Arsenal’s attacking players.