Mikel Arteta has revealed the truth behind Granit Xhaka’s Arsenal exit ahead of his reunion with the player against Sunderland on Saturday.
Xhaka helped Arteta win his first major trophy as Arsenal boss with the FA Cup triumph in 2020 before he joined Bayer Leverkusen three years later.
The 33-year-old is back in the Premier League after moving to Sunderland in July, which Arteta has called ‘one of the best’ summer signings.
Sunderland have enjoyed a fine start to the season following promotion last term, with Regis Le Bris’ side fourth in the table after 10 games.
‘I loved every minute that we spent together,’ Arteta said about Xhaka in his pre-match press conference on Friday before Sunderland host Arsenal.
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‘When I joined, he was in a special moment of his life and his career, and between all of us, we tried to guide him, to give him a different perspective, to make him feel loved, valued, and he responded in an incredible way.
‘He made me a better coach, he helped us to develop and improve a lot as a football team and as a club, and I will be eternally grateful because I have great memories with him.’
Quizzed on if he tried to convince Xhaka to stay, Arteta said: ‘Well, I already did it once and then we extended his contract and when he came in and explained the reasons, you have to understand the human being, you have to be grateful.
‘It was a unique opportunity for him to come back to his country, to his family, and there were certain things that he wanted to experience as well, and I believe it was the right moment.
‘He was very honest, as he is very straightforward as he always is and we’ll find a way to find a good solution for all of us.’
Arteta then explained why Xhaka left when he did, adding: ‘It wasn’t obviously an easy decision.
‘Because I knew the impact that he could still have at the club and the team.
‘But then when you have one of those leaders as well, you need to have them in the right frame of mind and fully committed and him feeling that this is the best place for him.
‘Granit, when he expressed his idea, the reasons why he believed he was better now or the right timing after everything we went through together to take another challenge, and take that journey somewhere else, it really made me think whether it was the right thing again to try to persuade him to stay if he was having already such a deep feeling about it.
‘I don’t know [if Xhaka was underappreciated by supporters]. Certainly, internally, he had a lot of appreciation.
‘I’m laughing because I just visualised Granit and it makes me laugh because he was such a character, a huge personality, very funny, super professional and one of those guys that can change the dressing room and the spirit of a team. That’s a superpower to have.
‘With the impact he’s having, [Xhaka is] one of the best [signings of the summer], I would say.
‘I think what they’ve done as a football club, as well in the last few years, is very impressive. The management and the decisions that they’ve taken and how stable they look and how they have started the season, it’s really impressive.’