Starting every game in the Premier League this season, Granit Xhaka is undeniably one of the first names on Unai Emery’s team sheet at the Emirates.
The Switzerland international. who already has 68 caps for his country at 26, has also managed to pick up a couple of goals along the way, as well as an assist against Cardiff back in September.
Contracted to Arsenal until 2023, having signed a new contract on June 15th, Xhaka isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and, should he stay until the end of his deal, will be 31 when he leaves.
Let’s say that were to happen, and were he to start thinking about the end of his career, then the Swiss midfielder would only have one destination in mind, as he explained to Basellandschaftliche Zeitung.
Asked if he would like to play for FC Basel again, he said: “Definitely! My career started here and there it is a goal, actually, my dream to return someday. That certainly won’t be the case at 28, I’ll be honest. It’ll probably be more like Alex Frei, who’s the best example of how to do it.
“He came back once he was in his thirties, but still performed and helped FCB win a few titles. Of course, the expectations are high when you come back again, but it is clearly a dream.”
Going through every youth team at the Swiss club before his move to Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2012, Xhaka made 67 appearances during his time in Basel’s first-team, scoring three goals and picking up seven assists, which includes a memorable win against Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in the Champions League.
