Mikel Arteta Arsenal
Granit Xhaka is set to be the next high-profile Arsenal exit this summer. It’s no secret that the midfielder was close to leaving the club during the 2020 January transfer window, but was convinced to stay by current manager Mikel Arteta.
Granit Xhaka said: “I was able to do something at Arsenal that I had missed in the national team at the time: explain myself. I didn’t go to training for two days, worrying about what all had happened. With my heart I had already left the club. The fact that I am still there today is thanks to coach Mikel Arteta. First, he wanted an explanation from me of what I felt, why I had acted like that. That’s exactly what I couldn’t do in the national team. I could tell him my motives, let out what was on my mind.”
However, it would appear that Xhaka’s five-year stay in north London is coming to an end. As a result, a £20m boost from selling Xhaka to Roma just might help fund a move for Odegaard after Arsenal missed out on a deal for Norwich City attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia.
