Roma are reportedly still interested in signing Granit Xhaka with Jose Mourinho said to be a big admirer, but will they put in a decent offer or just waste more of Arsenal’s time?
Grant Xhaka seemed destined for Roma last summer, with a personal deal agreed and the Italians making no secret of their desire to sign the Swiss midfielder.
Of course, we all desire things, but the true measure of that desire is in what we are prepared to stump up and, when it came to Roma last summer, they were not serious at all.
After all the furore with the Italians last summer, Arsenal quietly extended Granit Xhaka’s contract.
It was so quiet, in fact, they never even made an official announcement about it.
Speaking in August before the close of the transfer window and after Xhaka’s move to Roma fell apart, Mikel Arteta said about the , “We never wanted to let him go.
“We explained to him the role he would have in the team, how important he was and how far he has come in the last two seasons.
“And the fact that he has come through some difficult moments and how he has reacted and achieved and the respect he has gained, not only on the field, but around the club and in that dressing room.
“We believe that he was a really important figure and we need players like that for the development of the young players we have.”
Xhaka is already back in light training with Arsenal from the knee injury he picked up against Spurs, despite the club’s insistence he won’t return to match action until 2022.
Posting on his Instagram page, Granit Xhaka confirmed that he’s back out on the grass again with Arsenal.
The midfielder uploaded a couple of pictures showing him taking part in light training.
View this post on Instagram
That doesn’t mean he’s set for a comeback anytime soon.
There’s a big difference between going for a jog and playing in a Premier League football match.
But it’s an encouraging sign for Xhaka’s return timetable.
In mid-October, Arsenal gave us the update that Xhaka was aiming to return to full training in early 2022. As recently as this week, their updates have continued to stick to that schedule.
Now that he’s back out there, we should be able to see for ourselves when Xhaka re-joins the main group.
If it’s anytime before the end of the year, we could be set to see him return earlier than expected.
Whether Arsenal will be open to selling him once he’s fit remains to be seen.