Pundit says he does not like Xhaka and finds him 'irritating'

BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has admitted that he does not like Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, who impressed for the Gunners against Brentford on Sunday.

Arsenal played their seventh Premier League match of the season against Brentford on Sunday (September 18). They went on to earn a 3-0 victory over the Bees away from home.

William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira got their names on the scoresheet for the Gunners. One player who impressed for the visitors without finding the back of the net is Xhaka.

The Switzerland international captained the north London giants in Martin Odegaard's absence and provided the assist for Jesus' goal. The midfielder, who was stripped of the captain's armband in 2019, was also the subject of plaudits from the fans for his performance.

Xhaka's display against Brentford also saw him earn a place in Crooks' Team of the Week. The former Tottenham Hotspur forward's assessment of the Gunners star, though, was rather amusing.

Crooks started off by conceding he does not like Xhaka and claimed the midfielder is 'irritating'. The former Manchester United loanee also insisted that the 29-year-old should have left the Emirates Stadium years ago. He wrote in his BBC Sport column:

"I don't like Granit Xhaka. I find him confrontational, overly aggressive and altogether irritating. Nevertheless, on his day he's a very good player."

"He should have left Arsenal years ago. However, for some reason he has not only stayed at the club, but also occasionally wears the captain's armband, such is his popularity these days."

Crooks, though, admitted that Xhaka was impressive for the north London giants against Thomas Frank's side. He wrote:

"Against Brentford he looked very impressive and so did Arsenal. I would like to know why Brentford didn't look up for this game, but the Gunners were so good I rather suspect that even if they had it wouldn't have changed anything - Arsenal were that good. Most worrying."

Xhaka has scored one goal and provided three assists from seven league appearances for Mikel Arteta's side this term.

Fans blast Crooks for his assessment of Arsenal star Xhaka

Crooks' assessment of Xhaka certainly did not go unnoticed among the Gunners faithful. Some supporters have even taken to Twitter to launch a scathing attack on the former Tottenham forward.

One fan wrote:

"Shocking 'journalism' from Garth Crooks after naming Granit Xhaka in his team of the week."

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the Gunners' win against Brentford saw them reclaim their place as the Premier League table-toppers. They currently sit atop the table with 18 points from seven games.