I think @invisibleman18 has delivered a fair assessment above.
He was signed to play that deeper role. Always had a left foot capable of some cool stuff, but lacked the defensive technique, athleticism and awareness to be great in that position, which led to various compensating tactical variations.
His temper was terrible and pointless. Too many red cards and cost us points on more than one occasion, all that infuriated me more than his infamous falling out with the fans, but it came from the same source, fragile narcissism.
From that same source, Xhaka's notion of leadership, which amounts to playing the hero, never backing off a confrontation, hogging potential game-changing moments, and trying too hard. He's never been a great leader on the pitch in my opinion—including last season—but I do believe he was probably a loyal, likeable and solid teammate and had everyone's respect and even admiration in the dressing room.
As for last season and some of the second half of 21–22, I think it does Xhaka credit to have adapted to that more advanced role on the left, but that role had to be tailor made for him because he wasn't working elsewhere, and Partey, Ødegaard and Zinchenko all had to do their parts so that Xhaka could enjoy his freedom.
Sure, it no longer made me angry to see him in an Arsenal shirt by the end of last season, but … onward and upward. Good luck and good, uh, flights, Granit.
