Granit Xhaka has revealed that he would have left Arsenal in the last transfer window if he had wanted to, but he decided against making a move away.
The Swiss midfielder fell out with the club’s fans late last year and his Arsenal career looked to be over.
However, when Mikel Arteta became Arsenal’s manager, he spoke with the former Arsenal captain and he remained at the Emirates.
He is now one of the club’s leading players and one of Mikel Arteta’s most reliable players.
However, he thought about leaving the club following criticisms from the fans and he had an offer too.
Hertha Berlin was keen to take him to Germany, and they had agreed on personal terms with the midfielder, however, they couldn’t agree a fee with Arsenal and the midfielder eventually decided to remain in North London.
He, however, claimed that he is more isolated in England than he was when he played in the German top flight.
Asked by Sport1 about his contact with Hertha Berlin, Xhaka said: “It’s really no longer an issue for me. Yes, there was contact and also an offer, but in the end I decided to stay here in London.
‘After three and a half years I did not cancel everything that I had built up.
“I am now concentrating on this with all my strength and motivation and hope that we can get back on the pitch soon.”
He added: “Since I can think, the fans have been an integral part of my sport for me. And I have a lot of respect for the dedication and hardships the supporters take to support us players. And that’s why it’s normal for me to give something back.
“In England you are a bit more isolated there, I miss that compared to the Bundesliga. I always had a lot and close contact with the fans, so I’m very open.
“As I said, there were always ups and downs here in England, but these whistles against me, this hatred, that was brand new for me and has already hit me a lot.
“Until then I had almost only positive experiences with the fans in Basel and Mönchengladbach and also here at Arsenal. Then something like that hits you twice hard.”
