Granit Xhaka's turnaround at Arsenal has been nothing short of impressive. The Switzerland international has gone from being north London's main villain three years ago to now forcing himself as one of Mikel Arteta's undroppable stars.
The 30-year-old's resurgence after that infamous moment at the Emirates Stadium in October 2019 has seen him transform the consensus about him with the Gunners fanbase while also becoming one of the best midfielders in the league this season. Xhaka has scored four goals in all competitions this term - matching his best goalscoring campaign in 2018/19 - after taking up a more advanced role in the middle of the park.
It's not just finding the back of the net where the midfielder has impressed, with his formidable partnership with Thomas Party in front of the defensive line limiting the Gunners to only 11 goals conceded. Many had written his time in the capital off, but Arteta's arrival and belief from the off has reaped the rewards as Arsenal find themselves at the top of the Premier League.
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Following his crazy incident against Crystal Palace three years ago, Xhaka has been the receiver of plenty of praise from his manager. Arteta has been very complimentary of his former captain. He said after the 3-0 win over Brentford: "His consistency, and how he goes about every day.
"What he's learnt in different moments of his career, whether here or with the national team. Also, his willingness always to stay humble, to look forward and try to get better and when you do that, normally good things happen."
Arteta's words have been backed up by ex-Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit, who made 115 appearances for the Gunners and has labelled the Swiss a "symbol of Arsenal". He told Ladbrokes Fanzone: "He's (Arteta) completely transformed so many players, as well. The first name that springs to mind for me is Granit Xhaka.
"He's a survivor. The difference in him compared to where he was a couple of years ago; it's night and day, it's ice and fire. For me, he's the definition of what it takes to be a sportsman.
"This guy had both knees on the floor, his head down, and his time at the club looked to be over. The way he's come back from that, and the way he's almost reinvented his game, for me, he's the symbol of Arsenal Football Club under Mikel Arteta."
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