Granit Xhaka made Arsenal request to mend relationship with fans – ‘It’s bulls***’

Crystal Palace v Arsenal: Pictures

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Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka claims that he has spoken to the club about bringing crowds to training sessions so they can see how much players care. The Swiss has endured a rocky relationship with Gunners supporters in years gone by and previously admitted that a 2019 incident changed the dynamic forever. 

Xhaka’s Arsenal career looked dead and buried when he was booed off the pitch at the Emirates in a 2019 clash against Crystal Palace. The former Borussia Monchengladbach star made gestures to the crowd, tore off his shirt and stormed down the tunnel before being stripped of the captaincy by Unai Emery. 

Since then, the 29-year-old has wormed his way back into the fold under Mikel Arteta and is still a regular fixture in the Gunners’ midfield – even if he never won back the armband. To avoid any lingering doubts over his or his team-mates’ commitment to the badge, he claims to have pushed the club to bring crowds of spectators to training sessions at London Colney. 

“Everyone has bad days on the pitch,” Xhaka told reporters, including Express Sport. “That’s why I’ve spoken with the club about bringing the fans once a week to training.

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“It’s not like we waste our time here and only care about the 90 minutes. We care more than people think. Me, Aaron [Ramsdale] and others can’t sleep after a game when we lose. Nobody can see that, and it makes me disappointed and sad.

“People start to speak and say you’re not working for the club, this is bulls***, you know. It’s so difficult in England to bring people to training. In Germany it’s different, thousands come every day.”

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Xhaka started this season’s curtain-raiser, coincidentally against Palace, on Friday night as Gabriel Martinelli and a Marc Guehi own goal fired the Gunners to a morale-boosting 2-0 win. It remains to be seen whether the Switzerland international can keep his spot with the likes of Albert Sambi Lokonga, Mohamed Elneny and Fabio Vieira all vying for minutes in midfield. 

Sat alongside Ramsdale, Xhaka also spoke glowingly about the project being developed by Arteta in north London. In the newly-released documentary series, All or Nothing: Arsenal, he called the manager a ‘freak’ due to his tactical know-how and told reporters that the Spaniard stepped in when his exit from the Emirates seemed inevitable. 

“[Arteta] is the reason I’m still at this football club,” he added. “All of the club knows that, because three years ago I was gone. I had my suitcases packed. I had the meeting and Mikel came, he wanted to hear my opinion.

“I told Mikel that it was nothing to do with him and ‘I’m done here. I can’t wear the shirt anymore.’ He asked for a six-month chance and if you’re still not happy, I’ll help you to leave. I took the decision myself, I didn’t even speak to my family and said ‘I’ll stay for you’.”

All or Nothing: Arsenal launches on Prime Video on Thursday 4th August, with new episodes weekly.

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