Home All The News Arsenal legend insists Serie A is ‘perfect’ for Xhaka amid Roma links
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has suggested that if Granit Xhaka leaves the club this summer to join Roma, it would be the “perfect” move for him.
Xhaka joined the Gunners in 2016 from Borussia Monchengladbach for around £30m.
The midfielder has played 220 times for Arsenal since signing, but his performances for them have been inconsistent.
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Xhaka has been linked with a move to Jose Mourinho‘s Roma this summer. It was claimed last month that this transfer had been “agreed”.
In the meantime, the 28-year-old has been impressing for Switzerland at Euro 2020. They face Spain in the quarter-finals of the competition on Friday.
As cited by Football London, Parlour has told gambling.com that Xhaka’s style of play would suit Serie A:
“Like a quarter-back he was pinging balls all over the place, I’ve never seen him play so well.
“He’s captain of Switzerland and you can see real desire in his face. He’s actually quite calm on the ball, not as mobile as you might like for a central midfielder, but then he has other players around him to do that work for him.
“Once he’s on the ball you know he can make a pass and he was certainly man of the match against France, which was the game of the tournament so far for me.
“Switzerland showed all the courage and guts you need to get back into a game when you fall behind. It was a brilliant game and Xhaka was sensational, they’re going to really miss him in the next game after picking up his second yellow card, which was a big blow to Switzerland.
“If he goes to Roma, I think Italy is perfect for him. It’s a slower game over there and you know Xhaka has got the passing ability to excel there.
“Whether he goes or not, we’ll have to see. I’m sure Mikel Arteta is across the situation.
“Consistency is so important in midfield, you’ve got to be performing like that week in week out and at times he’s had poor games – like 4 out of 10 games – and you need a player who will guarantee you a 7, 8 or 9 every week, which is difficult to find.
“I think that’s why he hasn’t been able to replicate that Switzerland form for Arsenal, although he was much better last season to be fair to him. The pace of the Premier League is maybe just a little bit too much for him.”