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Xhaka enjoying freedom to go forward

After getting a goal and an assist during our 4-2 win against Leicester City, Granit Xhaka has revealed that he is enjoying playing in a more attacking role as part of Mikel Arteta's new-look side.

The Swiss midfielder put in a star turn during the end-to-end encounter against the Foxes, and often found himself as the furthest man forward during attacks, providing a different dimension to cause our opponents issues.

And Xhaka was in the right place at a crucial time to fire home our vital third goal from close range after Gabriel Jesus diverted the ball into his path.

“I’ve got more freedom to go up and down,” Xhaka explained. “I know I can do that. I have a lot of freedom from the coach, from my teammates. 

“At the moment I’m happy with how everything is going. Let’s continue to work like this and hopefully at the end of the season we can be more than happy.

“It’s always good when you score and it’s always good when you can help the team - not only me, but all the players did a great job today. I’m more than happy to help, of course.”

As well as Xhaka's display, it’s safe to say those inside Emirates Stadium on Saturday will remember Jesus’ home league debut for a long time.

Our new number 9 was in sparkling form, scoring twice and providing a further two assists for his teammates, and in doing so, became the first Arsenal player to be directly involved in four goals in one match since Alexis Sanchez, against West Ham United in December 2016. 

“His performance today was unbelievable,” Xhaka added. “Two goals and two assists - the work he does for the team is unbelievable. 

“We’re more than happy. He’s scoring now as well and he’s helping us day by day. I’m more than happy for him because I think it’s very important to score at home.”

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