Granit Xhaka has hit out at Arsenal fans yet again by claiming there’s no defence to their “incomprehensible” actions.
The Gunners midfielder was stripped of his captaincy after mouthing at fans to “f* off” in the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace last month.
Supporters inside the Emirates brutally booed him off the field when substituted for Bukayo Saka. Xhaka, 27, has not played for Arsenal since and boss Unai Emery admitted he has no idea when he’ll pull on the shirt once again.
The Spaniard also hinted that he could leave the Emirates when the transfer window opens in January. And now Xhaka has spoken out claiming the reaction of supporters “makes no sense.”
Speaking to Swiss newspaper Blick, he said: “When my shirt number lit up on the board of the fourth official and then broke jealous jubilation of their own fans, that hit me very much and stirred up. It was very painful and frustrating. For me, this reaction is still incomprehensible, especially in this vehemence and how extremely hostile I was here. Since I can remember, the fans are an integral part of my sport. And I have a lot of respect from the beginning for the commitment and hardships fans take to help us players.
“Justifiable criticism of them makes you grow as an athlete. And the power and energy that they put into the game makes every athlete love football even more. I feel like part of a big football family. But when you get scolded by this very footballing family in times when you are already being attacked massively, it hurts a lot.
“By that I do not mean that I can not stand criticism. If I and the team do not play well, we have to listen to it and work on it. But if you offend and insult your own captain, bring restlessness and bad mood into the team you actually support. That makes no sense to me and weakens the cohesion.” Despite removing Xhaka’s distracting presence from the squad, Arsenal still slumped to another poor result on Saturday as they lost 2-0 to Leicester.
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