Arsenal's heartbeat: Granit Xhaka redeemed as Mikel Arteta's most integral midfielder

The ferocity of his celebration said it all for Granit Xhaka, who took another significant step towards redemption by scoring his first Arsenal goal of the season on Tuesday night. It was a shame there were no supporters inside the Emirates to hail his strike against Norwich City, because he would no doubt have enjoyed hearing their praise.

The fans were there for Xhaka’s lowest moment of the campaign, when he was booed off the pitch against Crystal Palace and subsequently stripped of the captaincy, but they are not there to cheer him now he is once again proving himself to be one of the club’s most important players.

Maybe, watching from home, Xhaka’s critics can finally see how much Arsenal need him in their midfield. Maybe they will see what Unai Emery saw and what Mikel Arteta also knows to be true: that Xhaka is Arsenal’s footballing heartbeat.

He no longer wears the armband but these games since the restart have underlined how Xhaka is one of Arsenal’s few natural leaders. He is their most vocal player on the pitch and, right now, is surely the first name on Arteta’s team sheet along with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Since football’s restart, Arsenal have played two games without Xhaka, who was injured in the opening minutes against Manchester City, and lost both of them. They have since played three matches with him, and won all three. Across the whole season, Arsenal have only won once in the Premier League without Xhaka in the starting lineup, compared to seven draws or defeats without him.

It is no wonder, then, that one of Arteta’s first moves following his appointment in December was to turn on the charm and convince the 27-year-old to change his mind about leaving the club for Germany.

“He is a player whose commitment goes beyond anything normal,” Arteta said after the victory over Norwich. “He leaves every drop of blood on that football pitch every day and he does the same in training. For me, he's a great example to any other team-mate, the way he looks after himself and lives his profession.

“I'm really happy that we could convince him to stay, give him another opportunity, learn from the mistake that he made and appreciate the player and the person that we have at the club, and support them. When someone has a difficult moment, we are right behind them. We can give them another chance.”

Xhaka’s role as the team’s primary passer is especially important because of the ongoing issues with Matteo Guendouzi and Mesut Ozil, who were once again left out of the side against Norwich. Ozil, the club said, is suffering from “back soreness”.

Guendouzi, meanwhile, remains on the naughty step after grabbing the throat of Brighton’s Neal Maupay and then, Telegraph Sport understands, making it clear he would not be against leaving the club this summer. “Things have to change and nothing has changed,” said Arteta when asked what more he wants to see from Guendouzi.

With Lucas Torreira still working his way back to full fitness, Dani Ceballos, Joe Willock and Xhaka are the primary options in midfield. Ceballos was exceptional against Norwich, especially in the first-half, but is set to return to Real Madrid when his loan expires at the end of the season. Unless the Guendouzi issue is resolved soon, Arsenal will be worryingly short in a key area of the pitch. Again, this will only emphasise Xhaka’s importance.

Much of the criticism directed at Xhaka over his Arsenal career has been a result of his lack of mobility. Under Emery, he could often be found trying to plug a 40-yard gap on his own. Arteta’s tactical system has prevented him from being exposed quite so often.

Arsenal are on the hunt for a box-to-box midfielder this summer, with Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey at the top of the list, and such an addition would provide Xhaka with an even more secure platform to dictate the game and show his worth. Irrespective of whether they recruit a new sidekick for him, though, Xhaka will be there at the centre of the pitch, leading the side and, game by game, striving to prove his doubters wrong.