May28, (THEWILL) – Granit Xhaka bid farewell to Arsenal in sensational fashion as the English Premier League runners-up concluded their impressive season with a resounding 5-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Xhaka, who is set to join Bayer Leverkusen this summer, marked his departure from the Emirates with a first-half brace, although he missed out on what could have been a sensational sendoff hat-trick later in the game.
Despite failing to secure his third goal, Xhaka’s farewell was a perfect one, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, and Jakub Kiwior also finding the back of the net. This triumph allowed Mikel Arteta’s men to bounce back from their disappointment in the title race against Nottingham Forest the previous weekend, securing their 26th league win of the season.
While Xhaka’s imminent departure had yet to be officially confirmed, the thunderous applause he received from the crowd before kick-off strongly suggested that this was his final appearance for Arsenal. The warm reception reflected the remarkable turnaround Xhaka has experienced with the Emirates crowd, who had clashed with him memorably in the winter of 2019, leading to his captaincy being revoked and his potential exit from the club before Arteta intervened.
A fresh turn characterised Xhaka’s season as his more measured performances were without the wild displays that earned him several red cards in seasons past and regularly put the rest of the team at a disadvantage. This season, he turned up with seven goals and seven assists throughout the season, his most contributions in a single season for the Gunners.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
