Arsenal blocked Granit Xhaka statement?

Arsenal reportedly blocked Granit Xhaka from releasing a statement sooner than he did in the wake of his public outburst towards the club's support last month.

The Switzerland international was roundly jeered by the Emirates crowd during a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace last month and reacted by telling the Arsenal fans to "f*ck off" ahead of going straight down the tunnel.

Xhaka has since been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy and has not been included in recent squads for games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City.

According to The Times, Xhaka wanted to release a statement - in which he revealed death threats to his family - on the day after the game but could not find mutual ground with Arsenal on its exact wording.

Reports have claimed that the midfielder will now seek to find a new club over the January transfer window.

It was recently confirmed that leading goalscorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had been made the club's new permanent captain.