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There are conflicting reports about the immediate future of Swiss international Granit Xhaka.
Some reports suggest that Hertha Berlin have agreed a loan deal for the player with an option to buy of £25 million, but, his manager Mikel Arteta is making it clear that he will be staying at Arsenal, at least for the rest of the season.
Xhaka’s situation at the Emirates has been in doubt after being stripped of the club captaincy following his very public falling-out with the club’s supporters after being substituted during a Premier League match against Crystal Palace in October under former coach Unai Emery.
He was brought back in from the cold by interim coach Freddie Ljundberg, and has started two out of three matches so far under his successor Arteta, including the win over Manchester United on New Year’s Day, in which he was excellent.
It might be that some compromise will be made on both sides, with Xhaka allowed to join Hertha in the summer, having seen out the season at the Emirates.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.