Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta credited Granit Xhaka for making him a better coach after reviving the Swiss midfielder’s career when he was on the brink of leaving due to a bitter fallout with the club’s fans.
Xhaka lost the Arsenal captaincy under former manager Unai Emery after he angrily responded to supporters who jeered him during a 2019 match. When Arteta took over mid-season, he restored the player’s fortunes and his relationship with the Arsenal fans. Xhaka later moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023, where he won the Bundesliga title and the German Cup.
“I loved every minute we spent together. When I joined, he was in a special moment of his life and career,” Arteta told reporters ahead of Saturday’s game at Sunderland.
“We all tried to guide
him, give him a different perspective, make him feel loved and valued, and he responded incredibly.”
“He made me a better coach. He helped us develop and improve a lot as a team and a club,” Arteta added. “I will be eternally grateful because I have great memories with him.”
Despite the midfielder’s rocky relationship with supporters, Arteta insisted the club always valued Xhaka internally, describing him as a transformative presence in the dressing room. “I am laughing because I just visualised Granit, and it makes me laugh because he was such a character, a huge personality, very funny, super professional,” Arteta added. “One of those guys who can change the spirit of a dressing room and a team. That’s a superpower to have. It wasn’t an easy decision to let him leave because I knew the impact he could still have. But you need such leaders in the right frame of mind, feeling committed.”
Xhaka returned to the Premier League this season when Sunderland signed him for an initial fee of 13 million pounds ($17.45 million), as Regis Le Bris sought a leader to guide the youngsters and new players in the promoted team. The 33-year-old has delivered with a goal and three assists while creating several chances for his teammates. Sunderland sits fourth in the standings, level on 18 points with third-placed Liverpool and seven points behind leaders Arsenal.
“With the impact he is having, one of the best signings of the season, I would say,” Arteta commented. “I think what Sunderland have done as a football club in the last few years is very impressive, how stable they look and how they have started the season. Really impressed.”
With Gabriel Jesus back in training, Arteta said it was only a matter of time before the Brazilian forward is ready to play. However, he did not comment on the return of Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, and Gabriel Martinelli.
