Plenty of people, Arsenal fans included, raised their eyebrows at Patrick Vieira when he claimed that one of the current stars of the Premier League that reminds him most of himself is Granit Xhaka.
The Gunners legend and current Crystal Palace boss explained: "Xhaka at Arsenal, I think he is a team player, I think he is somebody you may not notice, you may not mention a lot but he is doing really hard work for the team."
That assessment doesn't look quite as silly at the moment as the Switzerland international's stock is the highest it has been since he arrived at the Emirates from Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer of 2016. Xhaka has gone from being a much-maligned figure to someone the Gunners faithful recognise as one of the most important members of the side.
Things could have gone oh so differently had Mikel Arteta not been appointed as Arsenal boss in December of 2019. Just one month prior, Xhaka's Gunners career appeared in tatters after an on-pitch, foul-mouthed meltdown in the direction of his own fans after they cheered his substitution.
At the time, Arsenal were under the guidance of Unai Emery, who daren't even look behind him while Xhaka continued to hit back at the Emirates faithful before throwing his Arsenal shirt to the ground in disgust as he made his way down the tunnel.
As Xhaka has since admitted, his bags were packed - he was on the verge of a transfer to Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin until Arteta intervened. "The passports were out. I was done with Arsenal," the midfielder told the Players' tribune. "Finished."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Xhaka now Arsenal's best midfielder? Comment below
"There was a contract on the table from another club, and all I had to do was sign. I had talked with my wife, Leonita, and we had decided to leave. I was just going to say goodbye to Mikel, and then we would board the plane."
Coincidentally, one of the few figures to leap to Xhaka's defence in the wake of his on-pitch meltdown was in fact, Vieira.
"I know how good he is, and he will come through this difficult period because he's a strong man. He's a good player, and he will show how good he is," the Frenchman added.
The backing of both Vieira and Arteta appears to have made quite the impact on Xhaka, who has recently been handed a new leadership role within the club.
Alongside summer signing Gabriel Jesus, Xhaka is regarded as a deputy leader within the Arsenal dressing room while Martin Odegaard is the Gunners' club captain.
Given the history Xhaka has with leadership roles at Arsenal and the strain it put on his relationship with the supporters, it is a brave decision by Arteta, but one that looks to be paying off.
