Former Arsenal forward Kevin Campbell has encouraged his former club to bring in Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma to replace Granit Xhaka.
Xhaka made the move to Arsenal in 2016 from German outfit Borussia Monchengladbach. He signed for a fee of around £30m after he impressed for Switzerland at Euro 2016.
The midfielder has totted up just over 200 appearances for the Gunners since his move. He replaced Laurent Koscielny as captain in 2019, but he was stripped just over a month later as a result of an angry confrontation with supporters.
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Xhaka’s time at Arsenal has been up and down, but he continues to be a mainstay under Mikel Arteta. He has already played 36 times for the Londoners this term.
Bissouma is in his third season in the Premier League with Brighton. He has already played 86 times for the Seagulls.
The midfielder has been one of their standout players in this time and he is starting to attract the interest of clubs around Europe, including Arsenal.
Campbell told Football Insider, as cited by The Mirror, that Xhaka is not a player that can “hurt” opposition:
“For five years that Xhaka’s been here we haven’t qualified for the Champions League. That’s not all his fault but he’s played his part.
“People aren’t convinced because he’s been there, he’s got the experience, yet in the first half of the season we were awful with him in the team.
“What he did in throwing the shirt down, that is a no-no to any fanbase. He did that, not the fanbase. That all of a sudden turns the people who might have been giving him a pass against him.
“The key to it is production. If you’re a midfielder you’re thinking, do I score, do I create? What does he do? He doesn’t do much in that sense.
“He’s tidy but he’s not gonna hurt you. He scores the odd goal once in a blue moon but you can’t rely on him.
“He’s a good continuity player. But I think he’s a squad player. That’s why I think Bissouma alongside Thomas Partey would be ideal for Arsenal.”
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