Arsenal legend Martin Keown has criticised Unai Emery for initially handing Granit Xhaka the captaincy this season, adding that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the 'safe bet'.
The Gunners boss confirmed yesterday that Xhaka had been stripped of the captaincy following a clash with supporters in the recent 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, with Aubameyang installed as his successor.
While that decision was unsurprising, Keown has also criticised how long it has taken Emery to take action - with Arsenal involved in two matches since that draw at the Emirates Stadium.
As the former defender explained, the decision to hand Xhaka the armband was never a popular choice with the supporters and he questioned his overall approach.
“Firstly, I just want to say that the fans booing the player, I’m not comfortable with that. But what it was, Xhaka was almost part of a previous plot. Fans didn’t even want him in the team, never mind as captain,” he told BT Sport.
“The manager got that call wrong and Aubameyang was the safe bet, he’s your best player and he’s going to play every week.
“Then the fans start to worry about the manager and making the big calls. I think we’ve seen an interview with Emery and he’s a little bit tetchy, he’s angry, but he came out fighting last night when he made that change but it should have happened earlier in the week. The fans need direction.
“It looks difficult for Xhaka. I’d like to think there is a chance for him to come back in, I like to think the fans would give him an opportunity but certainly not as a captain.”
Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva defended Xhaka though, stating he never hid from his critics, but accepts that he made a mistake and should have apologised immediately.
“He never hid from playing. Despite the fact that sometimes the team maybe didn’t get the right result or didn’t play well, he was there,” Gilberto added.
“Of course, he got annoyed by being booed by the fans and I don’t believe the mistake he made was towards everything. I think he was picked on by a small group, they didn’t like him very much.
“What he should have done later on was just that he made a mistake, said sorry and said we need to move on.”
