Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has revealed that Granit Xhaka was on his transfer list, when he worked under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Xhaka has been linked with a January exit, following his clash with his own fans, which saw him stripped of the armband.
Hertha Berlin are targeting a move for the 27-year-old, who arrived from Borussia Monchengladbach for £34million in 2016.
But Xhaka might end up staying at the Emirates, after Arteta spoke about his admiration for the Swiss midfielder.
"As a player, when I was going from Arsenal to City to start coaching and we were looking in that position, he was one of the players on my list.
"This is how much I liked him.
"I was happy when Arsenal signed him because I thought he was going to be a terrific player. He has done some really good things and now he has got stuck in a very difficult situation that, I think, was growing and growing and growing and one day it exploded.
"But I have been amazed as well by how this relationship is starting to come back a little bit and I think the fans have been very very positive about him, and him as well.
"Obviously it is difficult to change completely the scenario from where he was to a magnificent one. But I think we are in the right direction with him," Arteta told reporters.
Comments