Charlie Nicholas does not see Granit Xhaka playing forArsenalagain, despite the midfielder’s apology to the club’s supporters.
The Gunners’ captain clashed with his own fans when he was substituted during the 2-2 draw withCrystal Palacelast weekend.
Xhaka, 27, was jeered as he left the pitch at the Emirates Stadium and gestured towards supporters before appearing to mouth ‘f *** off’.
The Swiss international, who also cupped his hand to his ear then took his shirt off as he made his way down the tunnel, received heavy criticism for the exchange and was left out of the Carabao Cup defeat toLiverpoolon Wednesday.
Amid growing pressure for him to be stripped of the Arsenal captaincy, Xhaka releaseda strongly-worded statementon Thursday explaining and apologizing for his actions.
In addition to reinforcing his commitment to the club, the midfielder also claimed he had “reached boiling point” after several negative reactions andthreats to his wife and daughterin recent weeks.
And although he ended he letter by voicing his desire to get back to a place of “mutual respect” with the fans, Nicholas cannot see Xhaka returning againstWolvesthis weekend and thinks he could have played his last match for the club.
In response to the Xhaka’s statement, Nicholas toldSky Sports News: ” I don’t know if he will ever play again, to be honest. I don’t see it.
“If he is still angry and upset by the fans and the situation, I think he could say ‘it is time for me to move on’.
“He is 27, he has been at the club for a few years and it has not been the most successful period.
“There has been stress and strain and at the moment, he is part of the major that.
“I don’t think there is any chance of him playing [against Wolves]. If he does, it may be in the Europa League game next week.
“But I don’t see he would be that interested in playing the way he feels at the moment.”
Unai Emery has refused to confirm whether Xhaka will retain the armband in the coming weeks in light of the letter, which was released on the club’s official social media accounts.
The statement read: “After taking some time to reflect on what happened on Sunday afternoon, I would like to give you an explanation rather than just a quick response.
“The scenes that took place around my substitution have moved me deeply. I love this club and always give 100% on and off the pitch.
“My feeling of not being understood by fans, and repeated abusive comments at matches and in social media over the last weeks and months have hurt me deeply.
“People have said things like” We will break your legs “,” Kill your wife “and” Wish that your daughter gets cancer “.
” That has stirred me up and I reached boiling point when I felt the rejection in the stadium on Sunday.
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“In this situation, I let myself be carried away and reacted in a way that disrespected the group of fans that support our club, our team and myself with positive energy.
“That has not been my intention and I’m sorry if that’s what people thought.
“My wish is that we get back to a place of mutual respect, remembering why we fell in love with this game in the first place.
“Let’s move forward positively together. Granit. “
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