Footballer Granit Xhaka has spoken for the first time about the reasons behind his departure from Arsenal.
Xhaka stated that the only person who did not want him to leave was coach Mikel Arteta, in contrast to the London club.
“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, except for one person: Mikel Arteta,” Xhaka declared to The Athletic.
He emphasized that Arteta was the one who persuaded him to stay, even though last summer he changed his environment by moving to Bayer Leverkusen, where he has experienced a renaissance.
“When I met him for the first time, my bags were already packed, and I was ready to board a plane. With heart and soul, I had already left Arsenal,” added Xhaka.
“I told him, ‘The solution is for me to go.’ Mikel told me he wanted me to stay. But I wasn’t sure.”
“I remember talking to my dad at that time. He told me, ‘Let’s go.’ For the first time, he told me to leave. He said there was no future for me at Arsenal. I couldn’t imagine myself playing for Arsenal again. I told him, ‘I just want to be somewhere where the fans don’t bother me.’ But he was so convincing.”
“For the first time in my life, I made a decision without talking to my family first. I stood up and said, ‘Okay, I’ll stay.’ We hugged, and from that day on, I returned to training, and it seemed as if nothing had happened,” concluded Xhaka.
Xhaka is in fantastic form with Leverkusen, leading the Bundesliga without suffering any losses.
