Granit Xhaka was close to departing the club in 2019.
The Swiss midfielder was close to leaving the club before Mikel Arteta’s arrival in December 2019.
His time at the Emirates was nothing short of dramatic and ended his tumultuous career at the end of last season.
Back in 2019, Arsenal were playing Crystal Palace under the management of Unai Emery in the Premier League.
Xhaka was booed by fans as he was substituted, to which he cupped his ears and furiously ripped off his shirt before coming down the tunnel.
He was stripped of captaincy after that incident and was expected to leave Emirates in the coming weeks until the arrival of Mikel Arteta who persuaded the midfielder to prolong his stay.
“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, apart from one person: Mikel Arteta,” Xhaka said.
“When I met him for the first time, my bags were already packed and I was about to hop on a plane. With my heart and soul, I had already left the club. I said to him, ‘The solution is for me to go’. Mikel told me he wanted me to stay. But I wasn’t sure.”
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