ARSENAL midfielder Granit Xhaka has admitted he was “very, very close to leaving the club” following horrific abuse from his own fans. Xhaka was booed by sections of the Emirates support as he was substituted against Crystal Palace earlier this season. He then told fans to “f*** off” as he made his way to the […]
ARSENAL midfielder Granit Xhaka has admitted he was “very, very close to leaving the club” following horrific abuse from his own fans.
Xhaka was booed by sections of the Emirates support as he was substituted against Crystal Palace earlier this season.
He then told fans to “f*** off” as he made his way to the touchline.
Xhaka was promtly stripped of the captaincy by then-boss Unai Emery and dropped from the squad for five games.
During this time, the Swiss international revealed he had been targetted for abuse in previous games as well as on social media.
And Xhaka has now admitted he came close to calling it quits in North London.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s FA Cup final this weekend, the 27-year-old told BT Sport: “I have to be honest, I’m very honest with everyone. I was very, very close to leaving the club.
“Until that moment [the Crystal Palace incident] I had a great, great time in this football club.
“But after this, I was a bit down because I did not expect that from the people, from the fans.”
Xhaka gradually worked his way back into the team before Emery was sacked and replaced by Mikel Arteta.
And he credits the Spaniard for turning around his career at the club.
He added: “When Mikel arrived, I had a very good meeting with him, very good conversations.
“It was never in my mind to leave the club before [Palace], but after this happened, of course you think about it.
“But Mikel was the guy. He turned me around and gave me a second chance.
“And he showed me he trusted me and I have tried to give him everything back.”
Xhaka has failed to win over many fans since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach for £35m back in 2016.
But with Arteta picking him as first-choice centre-midfielder, the future is looking a lot rosier than it was looking for the 82-cap Switzerland star.
