Xhaka's Blistering Season Stuns Gunners: Arsenal Fans 'Gobsmacked'

As the 2022/23 season enters its final stretch, one name has been on the lips of football fans across Europe - Granit Xhaka. The Swiss midfield maestro, who swapped the red of Arsenal for the red and black of Bayer Leverkusen last summer, has been in scintillating form, propelling his new team towards an unprecedented treble.

Leverkusen currently sit atop the Bundesliga table, a single win away from clinching their first-ever league title. Xhaka has been ever-present, starting all 28 games, orchestrating play with a level of control that has left observers purring. His statistics are simply mind-boggling, ranking in the 99th percentile for a plethora of metrics, including passes completed, passing distance, progressive passing, and passes into the final third.

But Xhaka’s influence extends far beyond just passing. He also ranks in the highest percentile for live-ball passes, carries, and progressive carrying distance, underlining his all-round contribution to Leverkusen’s stellar campaign. It’s a level of performance that has stunned his former Arsenal teammates and left fans of the North London club gobsmacked.

“So happy for Xhaka, what a season him and his team are having,” gushed one awestruck Gunners supporter on social media. Another went even further, declaring: “FIFA World XI incoming for him. Generational season.” Such has been the magnitude of Xhaka’s displays that Arsenal fans who once questioned his quality are now wholeheartedly singing his praises.

Xhaka himself has been taking the plaudits in his stride, remaining grounded amidst the euphoria enveloping the BayArena. In a recent interview, he expressed delight at former club Arsenal’s own title charge, saying: “Of course you’re happy for that former club where you had seven wonderful years…They’re doing a great job, winning eight out of eight games recently. Keep it up!”

His graciousness is emblematic of the 31-year-old’s character - a consummate professional who lets his performances do the talking. And what performances they’ve been; masterclasses in ball control, game management, and relentless pressing that have underpinned Leverkusen’s tilt at history.

With the Bundesliga tantalisingly close and both the DFB-Pokal and Europa League still in play, it’s little wonder Arsenal fans are looking on with a mixture of admiration and envy. The man they once derided is now the catalyst for one of Europe’s most compelling stories - a treble-chasing behemoth powered by the sheer force of Granit Xhaka’s will.

As his former employers continue their own quest for Premier League glory, perhaps a tinge of regret has set in at the Emirates. They are witnessing first-hand the blossoming of a player whose vast potential was never fully realised in North London. For now though, all they can do is marvel at Xhaka’s heroics from afar and dream of what might have been.