Unai Emery has confirmed that Granit Xhaka will not be included in the Arsenal squad for the Premier League clash with Wolves on Saturday, as the fallout from his outburst last weekend continues.
The Gunners captain was heavily criticised for his reaction to taunts from fans inside Emirates Stadium when he was substituted during a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Xhaka ripped his shirt off and told supporters to "f*ck off" before storming down the tunnel, leading to calls for him to be stripped of the captaincy.
The Switzerland international was left out of a penalty shootout defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup in midweek and finally broke his silence on the incident via Arsenal's official Twitter account on Thursday.
Xhaka apologised for his actions, but first offered an explanation as to why he lost his cool, insisting he has been "deeply hurt" by the "repeated abuse" he has received from fans in recent weeks.
Ahead of Wolves' arrival at the Emirates, Emery confirmed that the 27-year-old will continue to take in a spell on the sidelines while he recovers from the traumatic episode.
Emery told a press conference on Friday: "He said sorry, he gave the apologies to the supporters, to everybody and now the focus is for tomorrow's (Saturday's) match.
"It is not in my mind that he is going play tomorrow. I am thinking tomorrow he is not going to play because I think now we need also to be focused only 100 per cent on the match."
When asked if Arsenal have a responsibility to protect Xhaka, Emery added: "The first is the person. The human, like everyone, feels. Xhaka’s issues last week is one issue that needs time. He needs time to recover the normality in him.”
Arsenal must beat Wolves to stay in touch with fourth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League table, with four points currently separating the two sides.
Emery went on to acknowledge the significance of Saturday's encounter, before expressing a desire for Arsenal to "connect" with the fans again after a turbulent week.
"We are going to play at home with our supporters. The same objective is to win," he said
“Above all, we need in that 90 minutes in the game to connect with our supporters. It is very important.”
Arsenal will turn their attention back to the Europa League after facing Wolves, with a tough trip to Vitoria on the cards next Thursday.
The Gunners will then resume their Premier League campaign three days later when they travel to the King Power Stadium for a vital encounter against high-flying Leicester City.
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