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Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has spoken up about his relationship with manager Mikel Arteta during his time at the club. The midfielder, who now plays for Bayer Leverkusen, revealed that he was set to leave the Emirates before Arteta's intervention caused him to stay.
Switzerland captain Xhaka moved from Arsenal to Bayer Leverkusen this summer and has quickly become one of the stalwarts of the German side. He has been in impressive form, helping his club go 24 matches unbeaten across competitions this season.
Xhaka had a tumultuous spell at Arsenal, where he was made captain and then stripped of the captaincy shortly afterwards under Unai Emery in 2019. The midfielder has revealed to The Athletic that the club did not treat him well, and he was well on his way out of the club when Mikel Arteta took over.
“The club showed me little respect even though I was the captain. It was clear they wanted to get rid of me as quickly as possible, apart from one person: Mikel Arteta. When I met him for the first time, my bags were already packed and I was about to hop on a plane. With my heart and soul, I had already left the club. I said to him, ‘The solution is for me to go’."
He added:
“Mikel told me he wanted me to stay. But I wasn’t sure. I remember speaking to my dad at the time. He told me, ‘Let’s go’. For the first time ever, he told me to run away. He said there was no future for me at Arsenal.’
Xhaka spoke about how Arteta convinced him to change his mind and stay in North London, saying:
“I could not imagine myself playing for Arsenal again. I said to him, ‘I just want to be somewhere where the fans don’t boo me’. But he was so convincing.
"For the first time in my life, I took a decision without talking to my family first. I got up and said, ‘OK, I’ll stay’. We embraced and, from that day on, I returned to training and it was like nothing ever happened.”
The 31-year-old went on to become a key player for Arteta, winning the FA Cup and FA Community Shield. He scored seven goals and provided seven assists in 37 Premier League appearances in his final season at the club, which was his personal best.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta among the best young managers in Europe
Arsenal's decision to appoint Mikel Arteta as their manager in 2019 caused a few eyebrows to be raised. The former Gunner had no experience being a manager and had only worked as an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Despite his relative inexperience, Arteta worked quickly to stamp his imprint on the squad, which was somewhat disjointed since Arsene Wenger left. The likes of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were victims of his arrival as they did not meet up to his standards.
Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have one of the most promising young sides in the world at present. The Gunners narrowly missed out on the Premier League title in 2023, finishing second behind Manchester City.
Arteta has managed to lead the north London side back into the UEFA Champions League this season, where they finished top of their group. His side are also top of the Premier League after nearly half the season, and remain strong contenders for both trophies.
