Nearly two years since he left Arsenal, now Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka has opened up about two conversations he had with Mikel Arteta before leaving the Emirates
Patrick Austen-Hardy Senior Sports Journalist
12:13, 06 Nov 2025Updated 12:28, 06 Nov 2025
Granit Xkaka in an interview with Sunderland
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Granit Xhaka spoke honestly about Mikel Arteta(Image: YouTube/Sky Sports)
Granit Xhaka has opened up about the two conversations he had with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after the ex-Gunners captain seemingly burned his bridges at the Emirates Stadium. The Switzerland midfielder will be reunited with his old boss and team-mates for the first time since his surprise move to Sunderland this summer.
Xhaka, 33, departed the Gunners in the summer of 2023, where he moved to Bayer Leverkusen. But he looked destined for the exit door around four seasons prior, when he was substituted to cacophony of boos in north London and stripped off the captaincy after.
Any hope of a reconciliation between player and supporter base looked scant, as he was even refusing to apologise to the supporters for his reaction. However, the midfielder eventually won back his place and became a vital cog for Arteta, when he replaced Unai Emery in December 2019.
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Looking back on how Arteta brought him in from the cold, the dynamic Black Cat had nothing but praise for the Gunners boss. In an interview with the Athletic, he jokingly described the argument with his own fans as a "misunderstanding." He then added: "It was bigger than that, absolutely, for sure.
"I don’t need to lie about it. Everyone knows the story. I still don’t know what exactly happened this day and why, let’s say that.
"When Mikel came, he had a very open conversation with myself. My luggage was already done (packed). I was ready to leave. I already had a contract on the table from another football club."
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta (R) speaks to Arsenal's Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium in London on February 15, 2023
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Xhaka was a vital player for Arteta(Image: IKIMAGES/AFP via Getty Images)
When Arsenal finished second behind Manchester City in the 2022-23 campaign, Xhaka played in all but one of the north Londoners' Premier League clashes. Throughout his career at Arsenal, he made 297 appearances, scoring 23 times and registering 29 assists, winning two FA Cups in the process.
A career in the capital spanning that length of time was unthinkable when Emery stripped the captaincy off him, shortly after his exchange with fans during a 2-2 home draw with Crystal Palace. He did not play for the next five matches under the now Aston Villa manager.
Xhaka had an eye on the exit door, until Arteta came through the entrance and turned his head back towards the club. Mikel had two conversations with me and he convinced me to stay, to give me another chance.
Granit Xhaka of Sunderland celebrates scoring the first Sunderland goal during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Everton at Stadium of Light on November 3, 2025 in Sunderland, United Kingdom
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Xhaka has become a huge player for Sunderland(Image: Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
"He wanted to show me that I am in the right place. From this day, I just had the feeling that every word he told me in this first conversation, everything was exactly like he said.
"That’s why I say that in 2019, when Mikel came, he changed me completely — as a human being, on the pitch, outside the pitch. But every year Mikel was doing new things, every year he brings something.
"And if you look at them in these first 10 games this season, they look very stable with and without the ball. I’m not surprised, I know how they work.”
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