Granit Xhaka has revealed he remains in daily contact with several of his former Arsenal teammates, as he prepares to face them on Wednesday.
BILD cover comments from the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder today ahead of Arsenal and Leverkusen set for a friendly on Wednesday.
Xhaka spent seven up and down years at Arsenal after joining them in a €45m deal from Borussia Monchengladbach in July 2016.
He went on to make 297 appearances in total for the club over that time, at one point finding himself as the focus of fan ire and boos before completely turning things around under Mikel Arteta’s leadership.
Indeed, his final year saw him nearly leading the club to the Premier League title before being pipped by Manchester City.
He left for Bayer Leverkusen last summer and has since established himself as a key player under Xabi Alonso, leading the charge last season as they dominated the Bundesliga, won the German cup and finished as runners-up in the Europa League.
That final year at the Emirates means he is far more liked there now than he was once, and it seems he’s looking forward to his return and reuniting with some of his former Arsenal teammates.
“When you play at a club for seven years, the return is always special,” he said.
“Especially because of the people from before. I had a wonderful time at Arsenal and still have daily contact with many of the players and staff.
“From the team mainly with Thomas Partey, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus. I’m looking forward to the game, a very strong opponent. An opponent that we also have to prepare for in the Champions League.”
