Granit Xhaka reflected on his first season with Arsenal, and talked about his hopes for the future, in a recent interview with Arsenal Media.
Xhaka told the Arsenal YouTube channel that his first season with the Gunners was very exciting, with highs and lows, and the biggest highlight of course was the FA Cup victory. He said that he’s always felt welcome in the Arsenal squad, but knew he’d have a fight on his hands for places.
But despite a couple of red cards in his first campaign, and some inconsistent form at the start of this one, Granit insists that he’s learned from the mistakes of his past, saying: “I feel like I’ve adapted to the Premier League. Of course, it was a bit difficult at the beginning. You need a little bit of time to settle in. But I think I got used to the Premier League pretty quickly.
“It’s much more intense, much more competitive, but I’ve relished the challenge, and I’m enjoying it very much.”
Then, talking about the highlight of his 2016/17 season, the 25-year-old says the Gunners earned the win over Chelsea at Wembley, recalling: “You stand there in the FA Cup final against Chelsea, against the Champions, and you have a great game. We fought them from the very first minute, to the very last, and we were clearly the better team. We deserved to win the cup.
“As we were up there receiving the trophy, those are memories that you never forget. Maybe one day, you think you’ll tell your children about those. It was very, very special.”
But now, Xhaka is looking to the future, and hoping to achieve even more with the club.
“I’m young, I’m ambitious, and I want to improve all aspects of my game,” he said. “Of course, we now want to give consistently good performances as a team, and compete at the top. That’s our number one aim.
“I’m very excited. Arsenal is a world class club with excellent players past and present, and I’m very happy to be part of this club.”
Hopefully Xhaka continues to be happy in North London, and also continues to win trophies with the Gunners. Often the two go hand-in-hand, as an unhappy dressing room is unlikely to be one that wins much, and an empty trophy cabinet won’t keep players happy. Luckily Granit and Arsenal have had both so far, it’s just about keeping that going.