When Granit Xhaka walked off the pitch in Arsenal's clash against Crystal Palace, launching a verbal tirade at the booing Gunners fans, there only seemed to be one way things were heading: the exit door.

The Switzerland international's public show of disapproval of the supporters' treatment inside the Emirates that day was the culmination of a Gunners career that had seen him become a constant target for criticism.

His later statement about the whole event was more to provide justification to his actions, than an outright apology. And when reports emerged the likes of Hertha Berlin were interested in signing him this month, it looked like the man signed by Arsene Wenger back in 2016 was off for pastures new.

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But Mikel Arteta's arrival has heralded a major turnaround in fortunes, and not just in the case of the Arsenal team as a whole. The Spaniard has only lost once in his opening eight games in charge, but has been more than willing to extend an olive branch to Xhaka.

"I really like him. The way we want to play, if we get him on board then he can be a tremendous player for the football club."

The Swiss midfielder has now been fully reintegrated into the Arsenal set-up once more, and he is set to stay for the foreseeable future. And as the Gunners understandably have their attentions on signing players themselves, Pablo Mari's arrival at the Emirates should be greeted with great enthusiasm by Xhaka himself.

Whilst Mari is a centre-back, his profile and style of play can help unlock the best out of Xhaka. The Flamengo defender is naturally left-footed, and is therefore a far more comfortable fit to play on that side.

Having a right-footed defender in that left centre-back role means they are more inclined to check back on to their stronger foot, and thereby narrow the entire pitch. Their passing is likely to go through the middle third, rather than opening the game up to the flanks. As a result, Xhaka often has to come deeper to collect the ball on the left-hand side for the Gunners. If he then gets caught in possession, there is no-one else behind him to help cover for his mistake.

But having Mari in the team can push Xhaka a touch further forward, and the Spaniard can help dictate the play from the back. As per Whoscored, in his most recent season with Flamengo, the 26-year-old averaged an impressive 57.2 passes per game at an accuracy of 87.8%.

Xhaka no longer has to worry about coming into a nominal third centre-back position to switch the play to the opposite flank, or play those chipped balls into the attacking left-back. The former Borussia Monchengladbach ace can focus more on playing those penetrating between-the-line passes into the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette in attack.

So whilst the Gunners' loan swoop for Mari is predominantly about them signing a new central defender, it can also have the added bonus of helping unlock Xhaka's true potential too.

Meanwhile, Arsenal fans have lauded this ace who was "playing like prime Cesc".