Mikel Arteta has declared his admiration for Granit Xhaka, revealing he was interested in bringing him the midfielder to Manchester City when he started as Guardiola’s assistant.
Xhaka’s future at the Gunners has looked bleak since he reacted angrily to fan abuse this season, with former manager Unai Emery even conceding he would likely move in January.
But with less than a week until the transfer window re-opens, Arteta has given the Swiss international hope that he may have a future at the Emirates.
The new Arsenal manager conceding he’s been a long-time admirer of Xhaka and is hopeful supporters are warming to him again.
“As a player, when I was going from Arsenal to City to start coaching and we were looking in that position, he was one of the players on my list. This is how much I liked him,” Arteta said.
“I was happy when Arsenal signed him because I thought he was going to be a terrific player. He has done some really good things and now he has got stuck in a very difficult situation that, I think, was growing and growing and growing and one day it exploded.
“But I have been amazed as well by how this relationship is starting to come back a little bit and I think the fans have been very, very positive about him as well.
“Obviously it is difficult to change completely the scenario from where he was to a magnificent one. But I think we are in the right direction with him.”
Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin have been linked with a transfer move for Xhaka in January but Arteta has made it clear to the player how much he values him.
“I told him how much I like him and what I expect from him, how important he is for the team,” he said. “I am here to help him, I want him to feel that we are right behind him. Not just myself, but the whole club.
“If we can get the people in the right way as well, the fans with him, I think it will be helpful for the team, which is where it matters.”
