The Arsenal midfielder has described the North Londoners as his ‘dream club’.
Earlier this season it seemed like Granit Xhaka was heading for a bitter departure from Arsenal.
The Switzerland international had quite a public and ugly falling-out with the Emirates Stadium faithful, whom he cursed after they booed him off the field during the first part of the season.
Then-Arsenal boss Unai Emery swiftly stripped him of the captaincy and sure enough there was constant speculation about a move away in January, with the likes of Hertha Berlin reportedly making offers.
Xhaka joined the Gunners for £35 million in 2016 [The Daily Mail] and despite not always being a fan favourite, was always an ever-present figure for Arsene Wenger, Emery and now Mikel Arteta.
The former Borussia Monchengladbac midfielder has now described Arsenal as his ‘absolute dream club’ after enjoying a turnaround in fortunes since Arteta took the reins.
During an interview with German outlet Sport1, Xhaka said: “Honestly, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better career.
“Sure, I had many other offers in Basel at the time, but I chose Gladbach. I say – everything done correctly. And then the next step to Arsenal, my absolute dream club.”
Xhaka has been scapegoated since his first season in North London, but the truth is that he isn’t that bad. There’s a reason why Wenger, Emery and Arteta have all rated him highly and that’s reflected in how often they started him.
He clearly has a lot of affinity for the Gunners and it’ll be fascinating to see whether he can continue to shift the fans’ perception of him, still relatively soon after it looked like he burned his bridges for good.
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