West Ham captain, Mark Noble has told Arsenal captain, Granit Xhaka to leave Emirates.
Noble said this while reacting to Xhaka’s confrontation with the Gunners fans.
It would be recalled that Xhaka was taken off by manager, Unai Emery during Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend, and he threw the captain’s armband to the floor, hurling insults at his own fans after they had ironically cheered his substitution before he marched straight down the tunnel.
The Switzerland midfielder, however, released a statement on Thursday explaining, rather than apologising for his actions.
“Granit has taken a lot of flak for his reaction,” Noble told the Standard.
“But I did have some sympathy for him.
“I know what it’s like when things are not going as well as you would like because, if you’re a manager or a captain, fans tend to aim more criticism at you.
“It’s a tough one and a fine line because you’re trying your best, but if you’re booed by your fans it is inevitable that your confidence will take a hit. I’ve had it myself, but the bottom line is that everything changes with results.
“Obviously, Granit has made mistakes and sometimes his discipline may not be the best, but the way I’ve always seen it is that the fans pay their hard-earned money, they go to the games and they have a right to express their opinion.”
Noble added, “In all honesty, the best solution might be to tell his agent, ‘Look, they don’t like me here, so maybe it’s best if I go and play somewhere else.
“There would be a lot of takers for him because he is a quality player and it does seem, from the outside, that his fellow players love him, both as a professional and a person. If I was him I would say, ‘I’ve had a great time here, but it’s not worked out recently and it’s time for a new challenge’.
“I remember Slaven Bilic telling me, ‘Once the box is open, it never closes’. The chances are that, if he makes one bad pass in the next match in which he plays, they’ll be on him again.”
Xhaka was not included in Arsenal’s squad to face Wolves on Saturday.
