Granit Xhaka on Arteta, Arsenal’s title and Emery ‘darkness

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That verdict carries weight from a player whose Arsenal story was nearly over in 2019, when he was substituted by Unai Emery at Emirates Stadium, took off his shirt and captain’s armband, and upset the Arsenal supporters.

Arteta replaced Emery later that year and kept Xhaka at the club, helping him become a key figure again before his move to Bayer Leverkusen.

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“The darkness [after the substitution by Emery] was only when I was alone, but it was a nice darkness because I learnt a lot from it,” he says.

Xhaka left Arsenal in 2023 after helping to drive the early stages of Arteta’s rebuild, and his respect for the manager has clearly endured. His comments also underline how far Arsenal have come since that period, from a side in trouble to one now closing in on the league title.

He also spoke about his coaching ambitions and revealed that both Xabi Alonso and Arteta had given him the same advice about his playing career.

“I spoke with Xabi [Alonso] – ‘When was the point you had the feeling you want to be from a player to coach?’ I would ask him. ‘Play as long as possible,’ he would say. Mikel [Arteta] said the same.”

Xhaka has just been named Sunderland’s Player of the Season and, at 33, he still has a few years left in him. His Sunderland contract runs until 2028, just a few months before his 36th birthday. His older brother, Taulant, retired in the summer aged 34.