Granit Xhaka fires parting shot at ‘disrespectful’ Arsenal and claims ‘it was clear they wanted to get rid of me’
GRANIT XHAKA has claimed Arsenal showed him “little respect” and “wanted to get rid” prior to his exit from the club.
The Swiss midfielder, 31, departed the Emirates for Bayer Leverkusen in a £21.5million deal in the summer after a seven-year spell in North London.
In 297 games for Arsenal, he scored 23 goals and provided 29 assists, winning two FA Cups.
He also wore the captain’s armband for a short period in 2019.
But it now appears his relationship with the club has broken down, though he was quick to separate manager Mikel Arteta from those who he claims wanted him out the door.
Speaking to The Athletic, he said: “Arsenal showed me little respect even though I was the captain.
“It was clear they wanted to get rid of me — apart from one person: Arteta.
“With my heart & soul, I had already left the club. Mikel told me he wanted me to stay.”
Xhaka joined German side Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, linking up with manager Xabi Alonso.
And they are flying high at the top of the Bundesliga table, four points clear of champions Bayern Munich.
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Xhaka has started all 15 of their league matches so far this season, playing all but 22 minutes.
He is the best-performing midfielder in Europe’s top seven leagues when it comes to passes into the final third – registering 164.
That is nine more than the next best, with the rest of the top five consisting of Girona’s Aleix Garcia, Manchester City’s Rodri, Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos, and Girona’s in Daley Blind.
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