Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised former captain Granit Xhaka's impact at Sunderland, calling the midfielder's move one of the summer's best signings. The Swiss international has been key to Sunderland's strong start in the Premier League. Arsenal face their former skipper this weekend with the Gunners leading the table.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reflected warmly on Granit Xhaka's time at the club and his current success at Sunderland ahead of their Premier League meeting this weekend.
Xhaka spent seven years with Arsenal before departing for Bayer Leverkusen in 2023, where he won the Bundesliga. He returned to the Premier League this summer with newly promoted Sunderland, helping them sit fourth in the table entering the match.
Arteta expressed gratitude for Xhaka's contributions, saying: “I loved every minute that we spent together. When Xhaka joined he was in a special moment in his life and his career. He made me a better coach, he helped us to develop as a football team and as a club and I will be eternally grateful. When he left us it was a unique opportunity for him to come back to his country, to his family and there were certain things that he wanted to experience as well and I believe it was the right moment.”
The Arsenal boss also commended Xhaka's influence at his new club: “Now, with the impact he’s having at Sunderland, he is one of the best [summer moves] I would say. I think what they’ve done as a football club as well in the last few years is very impressive, the management and the decisions that they’ve taken and how stable they look and how they have started the season, so really impressive.”
Arsenal hold a six-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League standings. On the injury front, Gabriel Jesus is back in training but will miss the weekend game. Arteta hopes Jesus, along with Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke, could return after the international break.