‘He’s playing really well’: Arteta wowed by Arsenal ace who’s now thriving in a ‘different role’
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has once again lauded Granit Xhaka, in conversation with the Gunners media team.
The Arsenal midfielder is thriving in the more advanced role that Arteta is using him in.
Indeed, Xhaka has been one of the main reasons why the Gunners have been so impressive going forward.
The £30million man’s link-up with Oleksandr Zinchenko on the left side has been superb so far.
It’s all the more remarkable considering that, three years ago, it looked as though Xhaka was on his way out of the Emirates.
Arteta ultimately convinced the Switzerland international to stay put, and it proved a great decision for all parties.
The Arsenal boss, speaking ahead of the Europa League meeting with Zurich, had some very kind words to say about Xhaka.
“He has a different role this year – he’s in more advanced areas and I think he’s playing really well,” said Arteta.
“He’s been really consistent this season and is a really important player for us.”
The Arsenal media team also asked Arteta how he convinced Xhaka to stay at the club.
“I gave him my opinion about the situation and I tried to explain the reasoning around why I thought leaving in that moment wasn’t the best idea,” replied the Gunners boss.
“Knowing his character and how he is, I thought he was going to regret it.
“After that, day by day he has earned the respect of everyone at the club, of all our supporters and he’s been playing really well for us.”
