Rio Ferdinand suggests midfielder has become a 'leader' since leaving Arsenal

Posted Sunday, June 30, 2024 by Caughtoffside.com

Granit Xhaka has become a better 'leader' since leaving Arsenal, according to Rio Ferdinand.

The 31-year-old midfielder was often maligned during his seven-year stay with the Gunners between 2016 and 2023, during which he made 297 appearances and won two FA Cup titles.

But Xhaka has left us in no doubt of his quality since leaving the Emirates, playing a key role as Bayer Leverkusen went the entire 2023/24 domestic season unbeaten to win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double while also reaching the Europa League final.

And Xhaka has continued that form into the European Championships, leading Switzerland to the quarter-finals after an impressive group stage and a shock 2-0 win over holders Italy in the last 16.

In that knockout game at Berlin's Olympiastadion, Xhaka created a match-high three chances and completed more passes (94) than any other player on the pitch, with 16 of those passes going into the attacking third.

Rio Ferdinand hails Xhaka 'maturity'

Xhaka's performance against the Azzurri drew widespread praise from a number of ex-players and pundits.

Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand was particularly impressed with Xhaka, hailing the midfielder's 'maturity' and 'leadership'.

"At Arsenal, he showed glimpses of this, but with Bayer Leverkusen and now Switzerland, he showed real maturity," Ferdinand told BBC One after Switzerland's win over Italy.

"He breaks the lines and finds the passes. He makes the right decisions 99% of the time. There was a real dominance in his performance, he's a leader in this team and you can see that in every part of his game right now."

Former Chelsea and Everton winger Pat Nevin echoed Ferdinand's sentiment, saying during his BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of the match: "Granit Xhaka was a very good player for Arsenal, but he was an accident waiting to happen with bookings.

"Xhaka is so much more controlled and his fitness looks great – he is controlling the entire game."

Switzerland will now await the winner of England vs Slovakia in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.