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Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has revealed who convinced him to stay with the Gunners after publicly falling out with fans in 2019
Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has revealed that after his infamous on-pitch spat with fans, there was just one person left at the club that wanted him to stay, with a move away seemingly all-but agreed.
Xhaka's time at Arsenal was nothing short of dramatic, with the Switzerland international leaving the club after seven years last summer after scoring twice on the final day of the season.
It was the perfect goodbye for a player that had been on such a dramatic journey in north London, having previously been the unofficial Persona Non Grata at the Emirates before moving to Bayer Leverkusen.
Back in 2019, amid a poor run of form for a then Unai Emery Arsenal side, Xhaka was booed by fans as he was substituted, which clearly triggered the player, who cupped his hand to his ear and seemed to mouth an expletive-ridden rant at the stands.
The captain left the field by ripping off his shirt, with his future at the club seemingly going with it, but despite a move to Hertha Berlin having been agreed, he has revealed that one person in particular convinced him to stay at Arsenal.
Xhaka had previously claimed that current boss Mikel Arteta was the only reason he remained at Arsenal, where he would go on to win back the love and support of the club's fans before departing for high-flying Bayer Leverkusen at the end of 2022-23.
Now, in an interview with The Athletic, he has admitted that he was shown 'little respect' by the Gunners, with only Arteta keen to keep hold of the player.
“The club showed me little respect even though I was the captain,” he said. “It was clear they wanted to get rid of me as quickly as possible, apart from one person: Mikel Arteta. Mikel told me he wanted me to stay. But I wasn't sure.
“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.”
Xhaka's final season saw him score nine times and pick up seven assists in all competitions, one of his most fruitful campaigns at the club.
His game was markedly improved after being shifted into a free role in midfield that brought out the best of his attacking and creative talents that were at times wasted at the base of a midfield pairing.
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