Granit Xhaka has admitted he will return to Basel ‘one day,’ aiming to do so around his 30th birthday.
Granit Xhaka has taken his time to win over the majority of the Arsenal fanbase, but with Lucas Torreira or Matteo Guendouzi alongside him, we’ve seen a different player this season compared to the midfielder who featured under Arsene Wenger.
Speaking to the media in his homeland, Xhaka admitted that he would love to return to the club he made his name at…and that his brother is actually the better footballer.
“Whenever I have two days off, I go to Basel,” Granit said. “I meet my family and when Basel plays I go to the stadium to support Taulant. I’ll be back one day, of course, I do not think this at 28, but I think when I’m 30, like Alex Frei. To win a title. A great dream when you come back and, of course, the expectations are higher.
Xhaka also made a surprising admission that his brother is the better footballer of the pair and that Basel only gave him a chance because their father demanded it.
“Taulant is more talented than me. My main feature is that I’m a big worker. If something is to be done, I do not leave it for tomorrow, but I do it today and tomorrow.
“I give thanks to Basel, thanks to my brother and dad. They wanted to take only Taluant, but my father said, ‘It’s two, both of you.’
“They were forced to take him and me. Since I was always the least talented, I never thought I would become a professional.
“[It’s] a dream come true. [A] Good thing we did both.”
Xhaka also revealed that a knee ligament injury when he was just 15 helped change his focus. “At age 15, I broke the ligament. It was a moment that strengthened me and influenced my mentality and my psychology.”
Xhaka has four-and-a-half-years left to run on his current Arsenal deal. Should he see that out, he would be 31 in the summer of 2023 when it ends.