Mikel Arteta exclusive: Arsenal boss 'morally' obliged to allow Granit Xhaka's 'beautiful story' at Gunners to end

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that he felt "morally" obliged to allow Granit Xhaka's "beautiful story" at Arsenal to come to an end last season.

The midfielder ended his seven-year stay with The Gunners last summer when he joined Bayer Leverkusen on a permanent deal.

Xhaka had enjoyed a resurgence under Arteta when the Spaniard arrived at the Emirates Stadium in 2019.

The Switzerland international endured a tough time before Arteta's arrival after he was stripped of the captaincy under former manager Unai Emery. It followed an incident where he was booed off the pitch by Arsenal supporters during a substitution and reacted by removing his shirt.

Xhaka played a key role in helping Arsenal lift the FA Cup in 2020 in Arteta's first campaign, and enjoyed a stellar 2022/23 season with nine goals and seven assists in all competitions.

The midfielder has continued his fine form and has been key to Leverkusen's title charge so far in the Bundesliga.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Arteta revealed how Xhaka managed to turn things around at Arsenal and why it was time for him to leave north London.

"I think it's a beautiful story," Arteta said. "For someone that was extremely struggling and could not find sense of finding the enjoyment that is required in this profession to fulfil your dreams, and all the hard work to come to a certain level.

"He turned that moment with great courage, with some important decisions which his family backed him up and then with performances.

"It came to a point where he was looking for something different in his career and he needed that stability for his family and when someone is giving you everything, I think morally you have to listen to the situation and accept it."

Following Xhaka's departure, Arsenal also signed key players such as Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya in the summer.

With two weeks remaining in the current January transfer window, Arteta said it was an important time for the club to assess certain options regarding arrival and departures.

"It's another important topic," he added. "The squad assessment in this period is really important to see what we have, what we are lacking, can we improve it, can we make sure we don't lose certain things we already have.

"We're always connected with the club, with Edu constantly and the scouting team, and having those conversations, being alert to opportunities as well.

"Managing expectations that we have externally and internally with some players and they have to understand what the necessities are and what opportunities they can have, we can discuss."

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