Carabao Cup: Gakpo’s double takes Liverpool into QF; Arsenal move past Preston North
After a goalless first half at Amex Stadium, Cody Gakpo broke the deadlock just seconds after the restart when he found the top corner with an unstoppable effort.
Arsenal midfield player Granit Xhaka looks set to depart from the club in the forthcoming January transfer window after being involved in an angry confrontation with the fans. The Switzerland International was recently removed as the captain of the Arsenal team by team manager Unai Emery also confirming that Xhaka is counting his days at the club.
Notably, Xhaka was named the captain in the month of September after his teammates had voted him to lead them. However, his involvement in an angry confrontation with the fans during Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, meant he could not be the captain anymore.
This is because he was attracting a lot of abuse from the club’s fans and in order to protect him from the abuses, he has been benched and may not wear the Arsenal colours again.
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Now, recent reports from The Times claim that Xhaka might stay in the Premier League itself as it is the Newcastle United who are looking to draft him in their squad.
Arsenal would be happy to listen to all the offers being made from other clubs concerning Xhaka but it remains to be seen if they sell their star player to a fellow Premier League side.
Emery had earlier revealed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be the captain in place of Xhaka. Hector Bellerin, Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil were named as his deputies.
“Again, we can do one step more with him. He’s not here today but also I think we need to take time with him, first to protect him and also to be calm and training with us every day. But I was speaking with him this morning and also I decided he’s not one of the captains in our group and I decided that and I told him this morning,” Emery had earlier said as quoted by the club’s official website.
“He accepted my decision and also I told the captain and other captain my decision, we need to carry on and to focus on tomorrow’s match and Saturday’s match. I needed to take one decision, and now it is closed. We have now Aubameyang, Hector, Lacazette and Ozil – they are the four captains, and first is now Aubameyang,” he had added.
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