Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has stated his happiness at being at the club and hinted that the Premier League leaders have “something special in their locker.
Mikel Arteta’s men have defied pre-season expectations and currently sit five points clear at the summit ahead of Manchester City after 15 matches.
The 30-year-old has found a new lease of life at the Emirates Stadium in an altered role by switching from a deeper position to a box-to-box position. Xhaka has scored three goals and laid on four assists after starting every game, highlighting his increased importance in the side.
Arteta’s side roared back from a goal down against West Ham to seal a formidable 3-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day, displaying a valiant spirit rarely seen in Arsenal teams down the years. Goals from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah completed the comeback with a deserved victory as the Gunners fans lauded another impressive display.
The club have signed a number of top young players to build their future around, with Mykhaylo Mudryk the next target. And Xhaka believes he and his team-mates are on “the right path” in north London with a title challenge expected in the second half of the season, as well as the knockout rounds of the Europa League.
Granit Xhaka: The Arsenal midfielder made a promise to the fans (Image: Getty Images)
“Of course, I’m happy that we’re on a very good path at Arsenal,” he told Nachrichtenagentur Keystone-SDA, relayed by Swiss outlet March 24.
“I feel completely at ease and enjoy an enormous amount of confidence there. We have something special planned in London.”
The former Borussia Monchengladbach star, who joined the club in 2015 for £34million, has made over 200 appearances for the club in that time and will pass the 300 mark at his current rate as his deal expires in 2024.
Things appeared to turn sour when he gestured furiously Arsenal fans who booed him back in 2019, with Xhaka stripped of the captaincy before a transfer to Hertha Berlin was lined up. But since apologising and working his way back into the reckoning away from the armband, he has thrived in the side and maintained an important role as an unofficial leader.
Mikel Arteta: The Spnair (Image: Getty)
Xhaka recently returned from the World Cup after being knocked out in the last-16 with a 6-1 humiliation by Portugal and he admitted that he felt down about the result, having spoken at length about the matter with his boss.
“We discussed everything [with Arteta about the World Cup], yes. He can read me like nobody else. Mikel knows what it’s like to be down,” he added.
“He felt how hurt I was by the way I was eliminated (in Qatar). But there are so many other challenges and tournaments. I will take those on.”
Xhaka and Arsenal will take on Brighton at the Amex Stadium on New Year’s Eve in an attempt to finish the year on an incredible high, having already picked up a club-record points total for this stage in the season. And his words could soon prove to be true if their run of victories continues long into the latter months of the campaign.
source: https://www.express.co.uk/
