Granit Xhaka has completed his move to Bayer Leverkusen

IT has been a week of decisive dealings down at Ashburton Grove as Arsenal continue to get their squad shipshape ahead of the new season.

After the Gunners finally reached an agreement with West Ham over the structure of the club record £105million payment for Declan Rice late on Tuesday night, it was never going to take long before players started heading towards the Emirates exit.

And the book-balancing was kicked up a notch yesterday (Thursday) when the club confirmed that Granit Xhaka had completed his move to Bayer Leverkusen. It is understood that the 30-year-old midfielder, who won two FA Cups during his seven-year stay in north London, fetched a favourable fee of £21.5m.

That’s good business for a club who have already committed to an outlay in excess of £200m: spending £105m on Rice, £65m prying Kai Havertz away from Chelsea, and another £38.5m signing 22-year-old Dutch defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax.

Despite enduring his fair share of controversies during his time at Arsenal, there was a twinge of sadness in Mikel Arteta’s farewell statement to the Switzerland captain.

“We are saying goodbye to a fantastic player and person loved by all of us,” said the Gunners gaffer.

“It has been an incredible journey together for him and he has given absolutely everything for this club. The influence Granit has had on his teammates on the pitch and colleagues at the club will tell you just how popular he is.

“We cannot thank Granit enough for his service and contribution to this club over the years. We wish Granit and his family all the best in the next step of their lives.”

And as one leaves – two if you include assistant manager Steve Round, who also left Arsenal yesterday by mutual agreement – one stays.

Academy graduate Reiss Nelson has extended his stay with the Gunners after signing what is believed to be a four-year deal with the option of an additional year. It is expected that Arsenal will announce imminently that French defender William Saliba has agreed a similar deal.

One of the busiest weeks for the Gunners in recent history also saw England striker Alessia Russo join Arsenal on a free transfer following her departure from Manchester United.

“I’m really excited to be here and I can’t wait to get going,” said Russo.

“I want to win trophies – as does everyone in this club.”