Arsenal latest news: Gunners "were in talks" to sell 98-cap star despite dressing room influence | OneFootball

Paul Brown has been left surprised by Granit Xhaka's u-turn at Arsenal.

What happened with Xhaka this summer?

Despite an impressive European Championships, where he captained Switzerland to the quarter-finals, it looked for all the world like the midfielder had played his last game for Arsenal.

According to Sky in Italy, Xhaka was in talks with a move to Roma through the summer and looked on course to link up with Jose Mourinho.

However, less than two weeks before the start of the Premier League season, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed that Xhaka was on the verge of signing a new contract in north London, ending talks with the Italian giants.

Xhaka confirmed his new deal on Instagram last month, and then returned from a summer of uncertainty to captain the side on the opening day at Brentford and started the opening three Premier League matches before missing the victory at Norwich through suspension.

What did Brown say about Xhaka's situation?

Brown was surprised that the midfielder went from on the verge of leaving the club to wearing the armband for their Premier League opener.

He told GIVEMESPORT: "Xhaka, he totally divides the fanbase, but he's actually quite important in terms of the dressing room, he is one of the leaders and one of the biggest voices at the club.

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"But Arsenal were in talks to get rid of Xhaka and he turns up for the start of the season and he's captain."

Should Arsenal have sold Xhaka?

As Brown stated, Xhaka divides opinion like no other player at the club. Some reckon that he's crucial to Arteta's plans and should be starting, whilst others believe he shouldn't be near the side.

Perhaps a fairer assessment would be somewhere in the middle, but with Arteta trying to create a more youthful environment, Arsenal and Xhaka have outgrown each other.

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The 28-year-old is still capable of doing it at Premier League level, but he's already shown against Manchester City that he's still suffering from a lack of discipline and should have been moved on.

Making him captain, though, especially after his history when wearing the armband, was just the latest in a long line of questionable decisions made by the Arsenal hierarchy.