Mikel Arteta has revealed that he threatened Granit Xhaka with being replaced in the Arsenal squad amid several "mistakes" that midfielder made.
Xhaka has been a revelation in a more advanced midfield position for the Gunners this season, scoring four goals and notching three assists. That contribution has helped Arteta's men to storm to the top of the Premier League, losing just one game in the first-half of the campaign.
But Arteta has now revealed that he came close to signing a new player to take that role amid doubts that Xhaka could adapt. The Gunners boss made it clear to the Switzerland captain that if he was not able to perform, he would be on his way out.
"I think it was a necessity. The squad wanted to evolve to another level and be more dominant and have more resources in the final third to attack and to score more goals. We needed to make that change," Arteta told Sky Sports.
"I spoke to him at the end of the season and said, ‘I need to unlock something in your brain because you’re so comfortable and confident playing in this area that you have forgot what is actually going to win us the game and the team now demands somebody here, so unless you unlock that I’m going to have to do something about it’.
"He took it straight away. He’s a very intelligent player, he came to pre-season fitter than ever, slimmer than ever, and he knew that if we wanted to take the team to a different level we had to change his role. He knew that was coming.
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"We believed he has those qualities, those qualities were there to be exploited and they were hiding. The team needed those qualities very much."
Arteta admitted that Xhaka had made mistakes during his Arsenal career, but praised the midfielder for bouncing back. And he insisted that the 30-year-old is now crucial to his plans for the Gunners.
"As I said, he is extremely intelligent, he has the physical capacity to constantly threat and occupy those spaces and recover his position quickly enough to have the balance we need," Arteta added.
"He’s been really consistent, the way he trains, the way he practises, to evolve to the demands we want for the team. He’s a special person. He’s very straight, he’s very honest, he’s very loyal and he’s very passionate about what he does.
"So when you have someone like that you want to help him, you want to protect him, you want him to fulfil the talent he has. He’s made some mistakes and he’s learnt from it, but he has always faced adversity and difficulty and he’s never run away from it.
"This is what all managers wants from their players. You know you can count on him, he will fight and break walls for you. This is what we expect from our players."
