Sokratis says Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is ‘one of the best’ midfielders

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Former Arsenal defender, Sokratis, has hailed his former teammate and good friend Granit Xhaka as ‘one of the best midfielders’ he has played with.

Sokratis, speaking exclusively to Football.London, has revealed a number of things about his time at Arsenal with an honest and open interview with the publication.

The Greek defender is due to face the Gunners in the Europa League after joining Olympiakos in January. And speaking to Football.London, Sokratis made sure he had some kind words to say about Xhaka, who has often come in for criticism at the club.

“Granit is one of the best team-mates I’ve had the pleasure of working with. He’s a very important player for Arsenal and I believe that he’s a good player who can be a leader in the team,” Sokratis said.

“When you make one mistake everybody will go against you, but I know Granit’s character. Before the Burnley game he played five or six games where he was probably the best player in the team. I think he’s one of Arsenal’s best players and certainly one of the best midfielders that I’ve played with.”

Xhaka has played an integral role under Mikel Arteta this season. But the Gunners are still said to be looking at new midfielders this summer.

And after splashing out on Thomas Partey in 2020, it’s not hard to piece together it is Xhaka who would seemingly be making way in the middle of the park.

TBR View: Xhaka has done well for Arsenal but they do need that bit more

Without criticising the Swiss midfielder, Arsenal do need someone of higher quality and to have more impact if they want to be successful.

Xhaka is a perfectly good squad player for the level the Gunners want to compete at. But as a starter, he’s just not quite cut it on enough occasions to be be truly deemed world-class.

Sokratis’ comments are all well and good, but most Arsenal fans will probably disagree that he’s one of the best midfielders.