Granit Xhaka leaves Arsenal for Leverkusen after seven years

Arsenal bids farewell to long-serving midfielder Granit Xhaka as he makes a move to Bayer Leverkusen, with Declan Rice eyed for the No. 8 role.

  

Granit Xhaka has been unveiled at Bayer 04 Leverkusen following his £21m move from Arsenal. (Photo credit: Bayer 04)

Arsenal on Thursday bade goodbye to one of their loyal servants, one who walked the hard road to warm himself up with the fans after their bitter divorce, Granit Xhaka.

The Swiss international joined the Gunners from Borussia Monchengladbach seven years ago.

But things soon fell apart, especially after Arsene Wenger left the club and Spanish manager Unai Emery took over as the new man in the Arsenal dugout.

After he was substituted in a game against Crystal Palace two seasons later, Granit Xhaka, the club captain at the time, appeared to gesture at the fans for booing him.

And he eventually threw the armband away and slammed his jersey on the floor, and it seemed there was no way back.

Granit Xhaka had already packed his bags, ready to leave for AS Roma, but Mikel Arteta prevailed on him to stay, promised him game time and comfort, and the rest is history. 

The player the fans wanted off became a fan favourite and even got his own song.

For a fee in the region of £21 million, Xhaka is leaving for Bayern Leverkusen and has already been unveiled in Germany. 

Arteta and Arsenal fans feel awkward, but they can hope on Declan Rice as the go-to for the now-famous No. 8 role.

 

297 appearances. 23 goals. 29 assists. Two FA Cups. And one inspirational story.​

Granit Xhaka: forever a part of the Arsenal family ❤️ pic.twitter.com/gbgRVicFiM

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 6, 2023