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Xhaka: Criticism made me look like 'brainless idiot'

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka believes the criticism he has received from former players is unfair because they don't know him or the club.

Xhaka has been slammed for his disciplinary problems by the likes of former Gunners defender Martin Keown who stated that manager Arsene Wenger "is going to have to work with Granit Xhaka and teach him how to tackle." 

The former Borussia Monchengladbach player was sent off against Swansea City in October, and during the win over Burnley in January, but he insists the level of criticism is uncalled for.

"What hurt me a lot was the source of the criticism and its form. It didn't come from my club, but from former players who don't know me any more than they know Arsenal," Xhaka told Swiss media, according to ESPN FC.

"People who don't know anything about how I work attacked me by making me look like a brainless idiot and nasty."

Meanwhile Arsenal will wait until the end of the season to try tie up new deals for star duo Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.

Both players have 15 months left on their current contracts, which means that they can soon start actively looking for employment elsewhere should their wage demands not be met.

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