If anybody symbolises the progress Arsenal have made under Mikel Arteta, it’s Granit Xhaka.
When Arteta was appointed as Unai Emery’s successor, Xhaka appeared to have one foot out the door in North London.
The Switzerland international had been stripped of the captaincy under the former Arsenal manager following a foul-mouth tirade toward the home fans who booed him off the field at the Emirates Stadium during a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace 11 months ago.
And with Xhaka’s form being questionable at best back then, speculation about a January exit made total sense.
But the former Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder, a £35 million signing in 2016, was given a second chance under Arteta – and he took it ever so well.
With the exception of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Xhaka has arguably been Arsenal’s best and most consistent performer in 2020 as a whole, playing a big role as the defensive shield as the Gunners won the FA Cup with a victory over Chelsea last month.
The 27-year-old is reborn under the Spaniard – and the latest images from London Colney prove it.
Arteta put his troops through their paces ahead of their Premier League opener away to Fulham on Saturday, but Xhaka, who was on international duty with Switzerland recently, was given a day off.
But he still showed up to training and observed his team-mates in a gesture which effectively sums up his transformation over the past nine months.
Here’s a few snaps of Xhaka at the training ground on Tuesday:
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