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Granit Xhaka staying at Arsenal to end Jose Mourinho's hopes of bringing him to Roma

Granit Xhaka in action for Arsenal against Chelsea - GETTY IMAGES
Granit Xhaka in action for Arsenal against Chelsea - GETTY IMAGES

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka will be staying at the club, Mikel Arteta has said, in a development that puts an end to Jose Mourinho’s hopes of bringing the Switzerland international to Roma.

Xhaka is a divisive player with the Arsenal supporters but he has always been highly valued by the coaching staff in north London and Roma have not presented any offers this summer that have been deemed acceptable.

Xhaka, who scored in a 2-1 friendly loss to Chelsea on Sunday, had been expected to leave the club in this transfer window, which would have left a sizable gap in the Arsenal midfield.

Arteta and technical director Edu will now hope to strengthen other areas of the squad, notably the attacking midfield position, before the new Premier League season begins against Brentford on August 13.

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"Granit is going to stay with us,” said Arteta. “He is a player that we rate and value so much. He is a key member of our squad. He has trained two days and he wanted to play today, and I think it is a very clear commitment from his side that he wants to be here."

Arsenal’s preparations for the new campaign were disrupted by an injury to star midfielder Thomas Partey in the match against Chelsea at the Emirates. Partey limped out of the action after taking a knock to the ankle and will have a scan on Monday.

“At the moment it is not looking good,” said the Arsenal manager. “He was in pain and he could not continue, which for Thomas is unusual.”

Goals from Kai Havertz and Arsenal target Tammy Abraham were enough to secure the victory for Chelsea. There was also an encouraging midfield performance from Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who spent last season on loan at Fulham.

“It is too early to judge Ruben,” said Thomas Tuchel. “He has everything in his hands. He can decide his own future.”