Former Arsenal player slams Gunners for how he was treated before transfer exit

Former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka has opened up on his time at the Emirates Stadium in a recent interview, saying that the club and the fanbase showed him 'little respect'. While he was critical of the club's overall attitudes towards him as captain, he nonetheless praised head coach Mikel Arteta, crediting him with restoring his confidence and showing him the respect he believed he deserved.

Xhaka signed for Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016, playing for the club until 2023, when he signed for Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of around £21 million. During his stint with the Gunners, he made 225 Premier League appearances, scoring 17 goals along the way.

What did Granit Xhaka say in the interview?

Speaking to The Athletic, Xhaka said: "The club showed me little respect even though I was the captain. It was clear they wanted to get rid of me as quickly as possible, apart from one person: Mikel Arteta. When I met him for the first time, my bags were already packed and I was about to hop on a plane. With my heart and soul, I had already left the club. I said to him, 'The solution is for me to go.' Mikel told me he wanted me to stay. But I wasn’t sure. I remember speaking to my dad at the time. He told me, ‘Let’s go.’ For the first time ever, he told me to run away. He said there was no future for me at Arsenal.

"I could not imagine myself playing for Arsenal again. I said to him [Arteta], ‘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'. Leverkusen’s plan for me was clear. Leaving Arsenal after seven years wasn’t easy on an emotional level after all the good and the bad things, but it was totally the right decision. I’m happy it worked out so well."