Granit Xhaka has dropped a heavy hint that he will be quitting Arsenal.
The Swiss international said speculation over his future will be cleared up this week ahead of the Gunners’ final game against Wolves. Xhaka, 32, has been linked strongly with a move to Bayer Leverkusen and it appears that he has made a decision.
Asked directly after the game at Nottingham Forest, he said: “You will know next week (by Sunday), for sure. Before the Wolves game. I think the fans deserve that. And I do, as well. We have one more week of the Premier League season to go and I want to enjoy it and I want you guys to, as well.”
The Swiss international has always maintained he wanted to do something ‘special’ this season. That chance may have gone after Arsenal’s title fight ended at the City Ground.
But it appears that Xhaka, who has worked himself back into popularity under boss Mikel Arteta after his relationship with the supporters appeared broken a couple of years ago, wants to savour a fond farewell.
He said: “Where I was three years ago and where I am today, I think I’ve grown up as a person and I’ve got my respect back. In the dressing room everything was always fine but I got it back from the fans.
“When I talked about special…I mean, how can I say it? Where I have been and how I came back and my turnaround, maybe it’s the first time in the history of the Premier League it’s been done? It’s made me happy. It makes me proud. But this is my story, my path.
“How the fans have treated me, I didn’t expect that - but I am thankful for them. I want to give them something back for, maybe, my last game on Sunday. I wanted to do something special this season, maybe with a title, but it’s not the time. Let’s see what the future holds.”
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta reflected on his side's defeat at The City Ground. He said: "It’s a really sad day and there are a lot of difficult emotions. Obviously because we lost the game and we lost the championship after 10 and a half months fighting for it. I know that we have built an illusion, enthusiasm and belief that we could go all the way and win it, and we fell short.
"So congratulations to Manchester City, they’re the champions and they deserve to be the champions. They’ve done it for 38 games and we haven’t been able to do that. That’s it, and from my side I apologise because we have generated belief that we could do it, and at the end the team wasn’t able to do it, and that is my responsibility."
