Firmly established in Xabi Alonso’s squad, Granit Xhaka sees life in roses with Bayer Leverkusen. And for good reason, the German team is at the top of the Bundesliga ahead of the Munich ogre at mid-season. Crowned with 21 starts in 22 matches for 1 offering since his arrival across the Rhine last summer, the Swiss international (121 caps, 14 goals) is off to an impressive start, just like what he still demonstrated last season at Arsenal. At a time when he is fully dedicated to the success of his new team, the 31-year-old looked back on his 7 seasons at the Emirates Stadium.
During an interview given to The Athletic, the Swiss spoke of a dark passage in his adventure with the Gunners. Targeted by critics and ridiculed by his own supporters at the time when Arsenal was having difficulty returning to first place, the main interested party believes that he was not always supported by the English club. Finally, the induction of Mikel Arteta on the London bench changed the situation. “I had many dark days, sitting in my hotel room for away games, realizing what had happened… I was completely devastated. The club showed me little respect even though I was the captain. It was clear that they wanted to get rid of myself as quickly as possible, except for one person: Mikel Arteta. With my heart and soul, I had already left Arsenal. Mikel (Arteta editor’s note) told me he wanted me to stay”he revealed in the columns of the British tabloid.
