Granit Xhaka Emerges as Surprise Arsenal Captain Candidate Amid Atletico Madrid Links
Arsenal are said to be planning on making Granit Xhaka their new club captain in order to fend off supposed interest from Atletico Madrid.
Xhaka joined Arsenal in 2016 and has gone on to make over 130 appearances for the Gunners after a difficult start to life in north London. He's yet to win over unanimous support amongst the Arsenal faithful, but he has gradually become a more consistent presence in the middle of the park.
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According to the Daily Star, Atletico Madrid, who are currently undergoing an extensive squad overhaul, have been eyeing up Xhaka as a potential replacement for Rodri, who is in line for a big money move to Manchester City this summer.
In response, Arsenal are now going ahead with their plan to make Xhaka their club captain, replacing Laurent Koscielny who is entering the twilight years of his playing career.
Arsenal may not need to worry about Atletico coming in with a bid for Xhaka however, as Los Colchoneros have already agreed the transfer of Marcos Llorente from Real Madrid, negating the need to sign another central midfielder.
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In any case, Xhaka remains among the strongest candidates to take the captain's armband, as he is now one of the more seasoned members of the first team squad at the Emirates.
The Switzerland international has already spoken about the potential of becoming the captain of Arsenal, recently telling Blick: "It would certainly be the dot on the 'i'."
It remains to be seen what decision Arsenal will take, but it's safe to assume that Xhaka won't be the most popular captain at the club in recent years.
