Mikel Arteta’s two conversations with Granit Xhaka after Arsenal controversy
Granit Xhaka departed Arsenal with the well-wishes of the club’s fan-base but that did not look likely in 2019, when he had a huge falling out with the club’s supporters
Granit Xhaka has revealed two crucial conversations with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta salvaged his Gunners career. The Switzerland international will face his former manager and team-mates for the first time since his unexpected switch to Sunderland this summer.
Xhaka, 33, left Arsenal in July 2023 to join Bayer Leverkusen. However, he appeared destined for departure four years earlier, when he was hauled off to a chorus of jeers in north London and lost the captaincy of the club.
The prospect of reconciliation between player and fanbase seemed remote, particularly when he allegedly refused to apologise. But the midfielder ultimately regained his place and became an integral part of Arteta’s side after he succeeded Unai Emery in December 2019.
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Reflecting on how Arteta rehabilitated him, the energetic Black Cat offered glowing praise for the Arsenal manager. Speaking to The Athletic, he light-heartedly referred to the confrontation with supporters as a “misunderstanding.”
He continued: “It was bigger than that, absolutely, for sure. I don’t need to lie about it. Everyone knows the story. I still don’t know what exactly happened this day and why, let’s say that.
“When Mikel came, he had a very open conversation with myself. My luggage was already done (packed). I was ready to leave.
“I already had a contract on the table from another football club. Mikel had two conversations with me and he convinced me to stay, to give me another chance.
“He wanted to show me that I am in the right place. From this day, I just had the feeling that every word he told me in this first conversation, everything was exactly like he said.
“That’s why I say that in 2019, when Mikel came, he changed me completely – as a human being, on the pitch, outside the pitch. But every year Mikel was doing new things, every year he brings something.
“And if you look at them in these first 10 games this season, they look very stable with and without the ball. I’m not surprised, I know how they work.”
During Arsenal’s second-place finish behind Manchester City in the 2022-23 season, Xhaka featured in all-but-one of the Gunners’ Premier League matches. Across his time in north London, he racked up 297 appearances, netting 23 goals and providing 29 assists, while lifting two FA Cups.
Such a lengthy spell in the capital would once have seemed impossible. Xhaka departed Arsenal for Leverkusen in 2023 and hadn’t anticipated returning to Premier League action.
Following his Bundesliga and DFB Pokal triumphs under Xabi Alonso, he subsequently followed his manager toward the exit. His transfer to the Stadium of Light, believed to be in the region of £17m, surprised many observers, yet he’s proved to be among the standout acquisitions of the summer under Regis Le Bris.
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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
