Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has heaped praise on manager Mikel Arteta, explaining why he calls the Spaniard a 'freak' in a positive manner.
Xhaka was close to leaving the Emirates Stadium back in January 2020 after Arteta's predecessor Unai Emery had stripped him of the club's captaincy two months prior. However, the Switzerland international has now explained how the former Manchester City assistant coach helped keep him in north London whilst also praising the 40-year-old's tactical knowledge.
“Without him [ Arteta ], I would not be here in this football club anymore,” Xhaka told ESPN. “He helped me a lot when I was completely down. He took me aside, helped me with small things, step by step, tactically, as a person, mentality, between the team and the club, tried to help me as well with the fans. He is a freak in a positive way.
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“Tactically, he knows everything. How he prepares the team before training, before the games, is unbelievable. I had a lot of coaches, but I have to put Mikel as one of the top ones in my career.”
“It was something, yes,” Xhaka added when asked about how close he was to leaving the Gunners. “Very close. Mikel was the guy with [technical director] Edu, they didn’t let me go because they wanted to keep me here. Of course, my first reaction was to stay at the football club, but they opened the door: ‘If something comes, I can leave.’
"I have to be honest as well. I don’t want to say a name now, but the door was open for me to leave the club as well. But in the end, people decided to keep me here.”
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