Granit Xhaka has vowed to win over Arsenal fans and revealed he won’t leave the club until he wins “something special”.
Xhaka has been with Arsenal for nearly six years and he has made 242 appearances for the club across all competitions. But the Swiss midfielder’s stay in north London has been far from straightforward, with a high-profile falling out with the club’s fans followed by persistent transfer rumours.
The 29-year-old was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy in November 2019 by Unai Emery after he was involved in an angry confrontation with his own supporters in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium. Xhaka reacted badly by waving and cupping his ear sarcastically when he was booed by the home fans after being substituted in the second half.
He has endured a strange relationship with Arsenal fans ever since, with his patchy disciplinary record and occasional errors scrutinised. The mood was influential in rumours linking Xhaka with a transfer to Jose Mourinho ’s Roma last summer.
The move never came about and Xhaka instead signed a new contract with Arsenal until June 2024, with the option of a further year. In a snippet of a new interview with The Players’ Tribune , he has opened up on his relationship with Arsenal fans and explained his intentions to see out the remainder of his contract.
“I want to have a better relationship with the people outside, with the fans,” he said. “To be closer with them. We never meet them, we never have a conversation with them. They are only seeing us on the pitch, for 90 minutes, and goodbye. They don’t know how we trained before, they don’t know how you feel, they don’t know if you have problems with your family, they don’t know a lot of points.
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“After the season I still have two years contract here. I will give everything until I’m at this football club. I always say that. I didn’t sign a new contract to be here for… enjoy my time and that’s it. No, no, I want to achieve something with this club, something special. And before that, I don’t leave.”
Xhaka joined Arsenal in the summer of 2016 after the club paid Borussia Monchengladbach a fee in the region of £35million. He has been an influential player for Arsene Wenger, Emery and Mikel Arteta, helping to win two FA Cups.
The Switzerland international has made 22 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners this season, playing at left-back, as well as in central midfield. He appeared to have developed a strong partnership with Thomas Partey in recent weeks, but has been used as cover for Kieran Tierney at left-back in the past two matches.
