Mills: Mourinho may have forced Arsenal into Xhaka U-turn after deal ‘done and dusted’
Danny Mills has suggested Jose Mourinho’s interest in Granit Xhaka has forced Arsenal into reevaluating his status at the club.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Leeds United and England full-back insisted a midfield pivot of Xhaka and Thomas Partey can bring the Gunners success.
The Athletic reported on 30 July Arsenal are set to offer the Switzerland captain a new contract.
Mourinho’s Roma have been keen on signing the 28-year-old but they have not met Arsenal’s valuation.
“He sort of divides opinion,” Mills told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“Everyone was like ‘He’s not good enough, get rid of him’. Then he has a good season, then he has a good Euros, then Mourinho wants him and all of a sudden it’s ‘We might want to keep him now’.
“It’s a strange one with Xhaka, he certainly divides opinion. He’s clearly got talent, you just need to play him in the right position and consistently in the right position to get the best out of him.
“Maybe that’s what Mourinho recognised and now Arteta has gone ‘Hang on a minute, alongside Partey, that might give us the platform to attack from there’.
“I thought it was done and dusted as a signing. I thought it was pretty much signed, sealed and delivered but clearly not and something’s happening.”
Xhaka has played 220 games across all competitions for Arsenal but he does not have the best relationship with the fans.
In October 2019 he was stripped of the captaincy after reacting angrily when fans cheered when he was substituted against Crystal Palace.
In other news, Arsenal fans should be “concerned” after a source reveals their transfer “mistake“.