Arteta: We are very aware of how difficult it is to keep winning
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has lavished praise on Granit Xhaka, admitting the Sunderland midfielder, who is set to line up this weekend against his former club, has made him a better coach.
Xhaka left The Gunners to join German side Bayer Leverkusen in a £21.4 million deal back in July 2023, bringing to an end an eventful period with the club following his arrival in 2016.
The Switzerland midfielder, 33, briefly captained Arsenal in 2019, but opted to call time on his career at the Emirates Stadium with one year remaining on his contract.
Arteta will reunite with Xhaka this weekend at the Stadium of Light, and on the eve of the encounter, the Arsenal boss believes their time working together has enhanced his qualities as a manager.
“I loved every minute we spent together,” Arteta said of Xhaka, who went on to win the Bundesliga title and German Cup with Leverkusen in the 2023/24 season. “When I joined, he was in a special moment of his life and career.
Granit Xhaka has led by example for Sunderland since joining in the summer
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“Between all of us, we tried to guide him, to give him a different perspective, to make him feel loved and valued, and he responded in an incredible way. He made me a better coach. He helped us develop and improve significantly as a team and a club.
“I will be eternally grateful because I have great memories with him.”
One such memory stung Arsenal supporters at the time, with Xhaka appearing to play up to those who jeered him as he was substituted during a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in October 2019.
In response to that incident, Xhaka and his family faced social media abuse. The captaincy was removed by Emery, while Arteta helped shift the narrative.
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Despite the midfielder’s checkered relationship with fans, Arteta – who took charge in December 2019 – insisted the club always valued Xhaka’s dressing-room presence.
“I am laughing because I just visualised Granit and it makes me laugh because he was such a character, a huge personality, very funny, super professional,” Arteta added.
“One of those guys who can change the spirit of a dressing room and a team. That’s a superpower to have.
“It wasn’t an easy decision (to let him leave) because I knew the impact he could still have. But then, when you have one of those leaders, you need to have him in the right frame of mind, feeling committed.”
Xhaka played all 90 minutes of Arsenal’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea in August 2020 – still the only major trophy Arteta has won as manager – and his leadership qualities have shone through once more at his current club.
Regis Le Bris wasted no time in making Xhaka his captain shortly before the season started, and despite the player only just arriving from Leverkusen for an initial fee of £13m.
A standout feature of Sunderland’s surprise rise up the Premier League table this term has been Xhaka’s combative influence, with Le Bris describing the midfielder as “like a second coach on the pitch”.
“With the impact he is having, one of the best (signings of the season), I would say,” Arteta said as Sunderland continue to make a mockery of pre-season predictions that they would be among the relegation favourites.
“I think what they (Sunderland) have done as a football club in the last few years is very impressive, how stable they look and how they have started the season. Really impressed.”
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Sunderland could rise to second in the table with a win over the league leaders, who will again be without Gabriel Jesus, although the Brazil international is back in training having not featured in a competitive fixture since January due to a cruciate ligament tear.
Arteta believes it is only a matter of time before Jesus is ready to play, but the Arsenal boss refused to comment on when Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli would return.
Jesus has scored 26 times in 96 matches for Arteta, who said of the forward: “He’s a player that is very unpredictable, full of energy, super competitive, a player that comes from a context of difficulty in the last few seasons for various nasty injuries.
“So the level of hunger and desire that he’s going to bring to the team is going to be amazing. So I’m thrilled to have him, I think he’s going to add something extra to the team that we don’t have and make sure that very soon we see him on that pitch making an impact for the team.”
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