Mikel Arteta is entering delicate territory at Arsenal after joining the club in 2019 because now is the time to deliver the Premier League title.
When the Spaniard first arrived from Manchester City, he had no first-team managerial experience and was walking into a team in a world of mess.
Even if some questioned Mikel Arteta’s appointment, he showed early signs of what he is all about when Arsenal won the FA Cup in his first six months in charge.
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But that’s when the choppy waters started causing the London club problems and it resulted in Arteta having to make some big calls, including playing a big part in Mesut Ozil’s exit from Arsenal.
Whenever Arteta made big decisions, it always resulted in people from within and those from the outside questioning that call, before realising that he was right.
You could argue that the decision to keep Granit Xhaka at Arsenal after his falling out with the fans was a brave call and one that, in the end, worked out.
The now-Bayer Leverkusen star became this figure who was hated by many to, years later, loved by them all and very popular.
It could be argued that, as soon as Xhaka started putting in consistent performances for Arsenal, he packed his bags and returned to Germany.
In the end, the 31-year-old spent seven rocky, entertaining and drama-filled years at the Emirates and he admits that it was ‘great’.
Even though Xhaka won a historic first-ever Bundesliga title for Leverkusen this term, he admits ‘I miss the player, staff and the club’ at Arsenal, as he told beIN SPORTS.
Granit Xhaka is missing Arsenal
“I had a great seven years at Arsenal, for sure,” said Xhaka. “I miss the players, I miss the staff and I miss the club, for sure, because seven years is a lot.
“But I had a feeling it was the perfect time to be back in Germany, to go to Leverkusen with another great coach with Xabi (Alonso) as well and to give me something else. He gives me something else. He gave me the mentality and a different type of game that I can do.
“I am feeling very good. I am feeling fit and I am feeling healthy. I am not done yet. I will continue, for sure.”
Granit Xhaka is going from strength to strength
You have to praise the hard-hitting midfielder for how he has picked his career up and taken it down a trophy-winning road.
Many were questioning the player, and if he had been sold as soon as Arteta arrived, then not many would have been surprised.
READ MORE: Teammate delivers verdict on £42m defender amid rumours he’s heading to Arsenal
Frank Lampard praised Xhaka for his ‘improvement’, as his Switzerland side reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, before they were knocked out by England.
Despite that, Xhaka was praised for ‘bossing’ it at Euro 2024 and how far he has taken his game, not just at club level, but also on the international stage.
Declan Rice has been outstanding for Arsenal in the middle of the park, but Arsenal fans would have loved for the Englishman to play alongside him in their colours.
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