“What a guy” – Ex-Arsenal midfielder reacts as Granit Xhaka leaves club

Former Arsenal midfielder Alex Iwobi has reacted to Granit Xhaka's move away from the Emirates this summer.

Xhaka, 30, has ended his seven-year stint with the Gunners and will now ply his trade for Bayer Leverkusen. The Swiss midfielder joins the German club for €25 million on a five-year contract.

After the announcement of his departure Thursday, July 6, Xhaka posted an emotional message for Arsenal fans on his Instagram account. Former Gunners midfielder Alex Iwobi reacted to the post, commenting:

"What A Guy"

Iwobi and Xhaka shared the pitch 89 times for the north London side, combining for two goals, before the former's move to Everton in 2019.

Xhaka, meanwhile, joined Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016. He made 297 appearances for the club, scoring 23 goals and providing 29 assists.

Having once captained the side, the Swiss midfielder had a falling out with the club's supporters. He threw the captain's armband in 2019 and was close to moving away as well.

However, manager Mikel Arteta convinced Xhaka to stay and the Switzerland international became an important part of the club last season. He contributed seven goals and seven assists in 37 Premier League appearances as the Gunners fell short in the title race against Manchester City.

As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Mikel Arteta's side have signed Declan Rice from West Ham United to replace Xhaka.

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Danny Murphy claims Declan Rice is 'buzzing' with Arsenal move

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has claimed that midfielder Declan Rice is pleased with his imminent move to Arsenal this summer.

As per Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners are set to sign Rice for a club-record fee worth £100 million plus £5 million add-ons. With this, he will also become the most expensive English footballer of all time.

The Gunners saw a couple of bids being rejected from West Ham before finally agreeing on the aforementioned fee.

In an interview on Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel FIVE, Murphy stated that he bumped into Rice last weekend. He claimed that the English midfielder is happy with the move and is waiting to collaborate with manager Mikel Arteta.

"I saw Dec on Sunday. We were chatting & he was buzzing, he couldn’t wait to get to Arsenal. He said Arteta was magic when he met him," Murphy said (via Football.London)

Rice had an excellent 2022-23 campaign as he captained West Ham to the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy. He made 50 appearances across competitions, scoring five goals and providing four assists.