Arsenal star Granit Xhaka refused to back Unai Emery after the Gunners’ Europa League final defeat to Chelsea by claiming he ‘didn’t know’ if the side had progressed under the Spaniard.
The Gunners’ 4-1 defeat in Baku ensured Emery finished his debut campaign at the Emirates without a trophy and Arsenal will play a third consecutive season in the Europa League next term.
The defeat means Emery’s budget will be around £45m this summer and he’s admitted several first-team stars could now leave the club as a consequence.
Arsene Wenger faced constant questions on his future towards the end of his reign but the Gunners’ end-of-season collapse under Emery was reminiscent of the form they showed under the Frenchman in the latter years of his 21-year spell.
And, in a damning assessment of Emery’s first year in charge of the Gunners, Xhaka refused to say whether he felt the side had improved under the former Paris Saint-Germain boss.
Asked if Emery had taken the club forward, Xhaka replied:
‘I don’t know. I’m not the right person to give you an answer about this.’
Emery had won all three of his previous Europa League finals before joining Arsenal and was understandably frustrated afterwards.
However, Xhaka says the Spaniard didn’t say ‘anything’ in the dressing room and sat with the squad in silence.
‘Him [Emery], the players, nobody speaks in the dressing room,’ said Xhaka.
Asked why Emery did not say anything, Xhaka said: ‘I don’t know. He was disappointed of course. ‘I think we know how we played. We know we lost the game.
‘It is not about shouting. It is not about shouting everything if we lose. ‘You can say a lot now but it is not the time to explain why and what happens. ‘I think it was a big chance for us and we didn’t take it.’
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Granit Xhaka refuses to back Unai Emery after Arsenal’s Europa League final defeat to Chelsea - Metro.co.uk
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