Arsenal star Granit Xhaka has been named Swiss Footballer of the Year after emerging as one of Mikel Arteta's key players this season. Xhaka's time at the Emirates Stadium seemed to be over prior to Arteta's arrival but the Swiss midfielder's redemption arc has been nothing short of incredible.
Despite being stripped of the club captaincy, the 30-year-old continues to show his leadership in the squad and help the Gunners maintain their position at the top of the Premier League table. Xhaka has scored four goals and provided a further five assists this season after Arteta adjusted his role in the team to give him more freedom to attack.
The Arsenal midfielder was given the award ahead of Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji and Bayern Munich's new signing Yann Sommer. Arteta allowed Xhaka to travel to Switzerland to receive the award following the Gunners' 3-2 win over Manchester United.
READ MORE: Eduardo Camavinga Arsenal hope, Ivan Fresneda transfer impact, Mohamed Elneny injury latest
At the ceremony in Switzerland, Xhaka said: "It makes me brutally proud. It is a special award for the many work of the past few years in the club and in the national team, but Manuel [Akanji] and Yann [Sommer] deserved it just as much."
When asked about being absent from Arsenal training to collect the award, the Gunners star responded: "I landed on Monday morning and I'm flying back to London on Tuesday morning. I’ll be training again on Tuesday morning.
"Of course I got permission from the coach. I very much appreciate this consent. Not every coach does that, because on Friday we’re already playing again in the cup at Man City. It definitely shows his appreciation.
"But I’m not going to party anyway. Nothing is going on in Switzerland on a Monday evening (laughs). I proudly accepted the invitation and from Tuesday I’ll be focusing on training and the next game again."
Talking about the crucial win against United on Sunday, Xhaka said: "Making it 3-2 just before the end was pure emotion for the fans and for us players. In my opinion, the win was well deserved.
"The euphoria is enormous. I’ve been at Arsenal for seven years and the atmosphere has never been so good. We are right at the top, but we take it game by game. Hopefully it’s enough for the cup at the end."
The Arsenal star finished his speech by heaping praise on Arteta and labelled the Spaniard as "a very special coach." Xhaka added: "He’s [Arteta] been given the time to build something and is doing a great job.
"He’s a very special coach. He has a plan A, B, C and maybe even Z for everything. Once you understand him, you see football differently. He talks to us a lot. We have many meetings, also in small groups."
Arsenal will face their main Premier League title rivals in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday in the first meeting of the season between the two sides. The Gunners still have to play Pep Guardiola's side twice in the Premier League as the title race continues heading into the second half of the season.
READ NEXT
Arsenal complete Jakub Kiwior transfer with £21m Spezia deal
Jakub Kiwior Arsenal shirt number revealed as Edu completes second January signing in £21m deal
Arsenal's triple boost confirmed after beating Manchester United and Premier League rule reset
Find the footballs on the football.london website to win cash prize, vouchers and TV worth £3,000
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium
