Latest news with #GranitXhaka
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘As of today, I'm here' – Granit Xhaka on his Bayer Leverkusen future
Ahead of Switzerland's friendly against Mexico in Salt Lake City, Granit Xhaka had an opportunity to address his Bayer Leverkusen future after it emerged that Milan were interested in the Bundesliga and German Cup champion. With Xabi Alonso leaving Leverkusen for Real Madrid, Jonathan Tah switching to Bayern Munich and Jeremie Frimpong joining Liverpool, with Florian Wirtz also potentially heading out of the door at the BayArena, Xhaka explained his reasoning by his recent comments, which suggested that he was about to return to Basel. Advertisement 'I already experience a major upheaval at Arsenal in 2019 […] That takes a lot of energy,' said Xhaka. 'And I'm no longer 25. I'll be 33 in September. And of course, the players who are leaving or have left are a huge loss, definitely […] Because they were extremely important for the team.' Xhaka has three-years remaining on his contract, but that hasn't stopped clubs showing an interest in signing Xhaka. Directly addressing his future, Xhaka added: 'With Simon Rolfes and Fernando Carro, we have enough players who can hopefully get the team back to that level. Whether it's with or without me is another question. But as of today, I'm here. We're happy and that's what matters.' But Xhaka also admitted that a move away could be interesting. 'I haven't played everywhere yet,' added the 32-year-old. 'Of course, you think about it but as I said, my mind is far away. I have my family and my management to take care of such things. And when the time comes and you have an offer on the table, then you start thinking about it. And when the time comes for a transfer to take place, I'll definitely let you know.' GGFN | Daniel Pinder
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Milan show interest in Bayer Leverkusen's Granit Xhaka
After causing a stir suggesting that a return to Basel was imminent, Granit Xhaka has since stated that he's happy at Bayer Leverkusen, where he has three-years remaining on his current contract. However, that hasn't stopped clubs showing an interest in the Swiss midfielder. According to Kicker, Milan have shown 'loose interest' as they prepare for a new era under Massimiliano Allegri as their new head coach and Igli Tare as sporting director. Speaking earlier in the week, Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes confirmed that the club are planning to go into the 2025/26 season with Xhaka, as they too embark on a new era after Erik ten Hag replaced Xabi Alonso as head coach. Advertisement But the fact that Leverkusen retain interest in Malick Thiaw could work in Milan's favour. Last season's second-placed Bundesliga side are scouring the market for a Jonathan Tah replacement and have identified the Milan defender as a candidate. Whether or not Xhaka could be used in a makeshift is, as of now, unfounded. GGFN | Daniel Pinder
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Report: Xhaka unsettled at Bayer Leverkusen?
Swiss news source Blicksport are reporting that well-informed members of the club are expecting Granit Xhaka to depart Bayer Leverkusen. While it may not be during this window, the Swiss international is supposedly keen to move on despite his contract running until 2028. Advertisement Die Werkself are also believed to be holding discussions with regards to the conditions of a possible transfer. Apparently there are several clubs internationally that are interested in the midfielder's services. One club that is definitely not in the running is FC Basel, for whom Xhaka made 42 appearances for between 2010-12.
New York Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
How would Martin Zubimendi fit in Arsenal's midfield?
While talk of Arsenal signing a striker has dominated press conferences, social media and the stands at the Emirates, the club knew that could not be the only order of business this summer. That is why their long-standing interest in Martin Zubimendi saw them start actively pursuing a deal in January. A holding midfielder may not be the shiniest of new toys, but as the closing weeks of the season have shown, Zubimendi could be just as valuable as a new centre-forward. Arsenal's midfield has endured a couple of false starts since the departure of Granit Xhaka in 2023. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz arrived that summer, with the expectation they would complete a midfield three with Martin Odegaard. Havertz struggled to shine in midfield, and was soon moved to centre-forward, which saw the midfield evolve to include Thomas Partey at the base with Odegaard and Rice either side. Advertisement Even with Mikel Merino's arrival last summer, that trio of Odegaard, Partey and Rice has still been Mikel Arteta's most reliable. Rice has grown into a true box-to-box midfielder, which would naturally see Zubimendi slot in as a more deep-lying option. With Partey turning 32 next month and out of contract, and Jorginho likely to join Flamengo, succession planning in that position has been essential. Equally important has been identifying a player who can bring more craft in that area of the pitch — a conductor. Thankfully for Arsenal, that is where the Spain international thrives. This is a role where subtlety, clarity and bravery is required, and Zubimendi has all three. The Athletic highlighted Arsenal's need for a press-resistant No 6 after their 1-0 win over Newcastle United and Zubimendi has the awareness to pass this test. Zubimendi has 17 Spain caps and was more of a squad option in Euro 2024, starting just once. Since the anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered by Rodri, he has started six of their eight Nations League games this season. A good example of him helping Spain tick came in a 2-1 away win against Denmark in November. Here, he receives the ball with three Danes pressuring him, but has the technique and calm to evade their challenges and recycle the ball. For Arsenal, that could help free up the right-sided players more by attracting bodies towards the centre of the pitch. He shows more personality in midfield for Real Sociedad than for Spain. His touches away from pressure can often be surprising in their flair. In the example below, he does a first-time, left-footed flick over an opponent's head before bringing the ball down on his thigh and finding Takefusa Kubo on the right. Kubo drove down the wing and found Mikel Oyazarbal with his cross, showing how that moment in midfield led to an opening for La Real. Zubimendi can also do the unexpected in deeper areas. Against Valencia, the ball is played from the left. With pressure coming, he lets the ball run before backheeling it safely to a centre-back. Once again, La Real release the pressure to their right side to find Kubo. Arsenal missed their right-sided attacking connections this season, so Zubimendi already playing in a team that caters to that could help Arsenal revive theirs. Key to that will be those players receiving the ball in space, and that is where another aspect of Zubimendi's midfield play could be critical. He tends to play a lot of short passes, which helps to draw opposition midfielders towards him and away from his team-mates. Advertisement Below is an example of how this worked against Leganes. His first pass draws the opposition out, and his second progresses the play. Both are made with his first touch. This demonstrates how effective quick, sharp passes can be in these areas to outmanoeuvre tricky defences — an issue Arsenal have had for the past two seasons. In the above example, Kubo did not have the explosiveness to break away and was fouled, but Arsenal have players who can create that separation in Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri and Odegaard. Looking at where Zubimendi has received his passes this season, the 26-year-old is always on hand to help keep the ball under pressure and move forward. Drifting out to both flanks, always looking to provide an option in congested midfield battles, and happy to throw himself into dangerous situations close to his own goal, it's little wonder he leads the way for touches, passes and carries for his team this season. He brings balance to his side's build-up in attack and provides a constant escape route to ensure there is always an overload in Real Sociedad's favour. Without the ball, Zubimendi is much more of an anticipatory defender, prioritising good positioning, interceptions and and sweeping up loose balls rather than barging into challenges. Still, he can hold his own in more physical defensive duels. The chart below illustrates key stylistic metrics. Compared to his midfield counterparts in La Liga, Zubimendi engages in relatively few 'true' tackle attempts — a combination of tackles won, lost, and fouls committed when attempting a tackle. When he does, however, only three midfielders have a better success rate than his 66.4 per cent. Instead, Zubimendi ranks more highly in 'passive' defensive actions, letting the ball come to him rather than aggressively moving out of position to seek it out. His rate of 'true' interceptions — a combination of interceptions and blocked passes — is high, while only Mallorca's Samu Costa has made more clearances. He's an effective sweeper, guarding the space in front of his centre-backs, but can muck in with a strong challenge or an aerial duel when required. The below example against Valencia brings together multiple facets of Zubimendi's game. First, he scraps for the loose ball and nicks in ahead of Hugo Guillamon with opposition players lurking behind. He then pokes the ball out to full-back Javi Lopez, before pulling out to the flank to offer a passing option. The ball goes back to Zubimendi in frame four, who holds off the challenge of opposition winger and plays a simple pass into defence. By not only preventing a dangerous opportunity, but allowing his team control of the ball, Zubimendi's mix of scrappy defensive play and assured ball retention helps the home side out of a tricky spot. Zubimendi is not being signed for his goals and assists. In 236 games for Real Sociedad, he has 10 goals and nine assists. Even so, it could be interesting to see situations that could be replicated at Arsenal. To do this, we'll look at two of his assists. The first is from the 2023-24 season, against Athletic Club. The ball is dropping and an Athletic player attempts a speculative pass through midfield. Zubimendi is in his natural position and cuts the pass out. He then plays a left-footed pass in behind for Oyazarbal, who rounds the keeper to score. It seems simple enough, but Arsenal have not made enough of moments like that this season. In 2022-23, Zubimendi provided a completely different assist against Girona. Girona were 2-1 up, trying to hold onto their lead in the minutes before half-time with a deep block. As the ball comes to Zubimendi outside the box, he is already looking for potential passing options. He sees Alexander Sorloth at the back post and clips a perfectly weighted ball over the back line for the striker to chest and volley in. Arsenal have a few ways of breaking down low blocks, but adding another player with that vision and delivery in those situations can only help. Though a forward is the priority for Arsenal this summer, getting their midfield in order first could be a good base on which to build.
Associated Press
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Basel player Taulant Xhaka banned 1 game for misconduct at title celebrations
BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Title-winning Basel midfielder Taulant Xhaka was banned for one game Friday for misconduct during club celebrations on a balcony in a public square. The Swiss Football League punished Xhaka for making 'derogatory comments about other clubs' – Zurich and Grasshopper – and lighting a red flare in Basel on Sunday. The team had just won its first league title since 2017, and the sixth of the club veteran's career in his last season before retiring. He cited the emotion of a final title win in a formal apology Monday. The Albania international, the elder brother of Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka, also was fined 7,500 Swiss francs ($9,000) and must do 18 hours of community service on a soccer project. The 34-year-old Xhaka will miss the visit to Young Boys on Sunday and can return for a farewell, season-ending game hosting Lucerne. 'In addition to the apologies, the single judge also took into account the end of Taulant Xhaka's career in his judgment,' the league said. The ban of just one game was balanced by a bigger fine and the community service 'to make up for the negative impact his behavior has had on the public,' the league said. Basel previously said Xhaka would face an in-house disciplinary case. ___ AP soccer:
