Bayer Leverkusen sign Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka
Jul 07, 2023
Leverkusen [Germany], July 7 : German football club Bayer Leverkusen has signed midfielder Granit Xhaka on a permanent deal until 2028. Granit Xhaka will leave the English football club Arsenal to join Bayer Leverkusen.
According to the official website of Bayer Leverkusen, "Midfielder Granit Xhaka has joined Bayer 04 from Premier League runners-up Arsenal. The Switzerland international won the prestigious FA Cup twice with the top English club and has penned a contract at Leverkusen to June 30, 2028."
Xhaka made 297 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions. The Swiss player soon established himself as a first choice with the Gunners, as he had done in Monchengladbach, and he quickly became a key player in central midfield.
Even after seven years in London, Xhaka was still one of the key players in an otherwise young North London side. With 16 goal involvements in the last Premier League season - the best season of his career in that respect - the otherwise more defensively-minded 30-year-old made an important contribution to Arsenal finishing runners-up and qualifying for the Champions League again after seven years. The midfield maestro arrives in Leverkusen with plenty of experience.
Over the course of his career, the Swiss midfielder has, again and again, proved one thing: What it means to accept responsibility. His experience as a leader on the pitch paid off with him being the captain at Borussia Monchengladbach and Arsenal for three years at each club. Granit has also been captain of the Switzerland team since 2018 and he has the second-highest number of international caps for his country with 115 to date.
Xhaka joined the youth section at FC Basel at the age of eleven and he moved up to the first-team squad in the 2010/2011 season. He twice won the league title with the top Swiss club and debuted in the Champions League and the Europa League.
He moved to the Bundesliga at age 20 with his first experience in a top European league at Borussia Monchengladbach. He made 140 appearances for the Foals. Four years later, Xhaka followed the call of the Premier League but he never lost contact with German football: "I know the Bundesliga inside out and I always watched it from London."
As per the official website of Bayer Leverkusen, Granit Xhaka said, "Bayer 04 is a club with an impressive history and ambitious targets. I see Bayer 04 now as a club with a great future. Discussions with the management have been incredibly motivating. Everybody here is ambitious and wants to achieve something." Exactly as the Swiss infielder does."
Simon Rolfes, Bayer 04 sporting managing director, said, "His ability on the pitch is well known. But, above all, there are few players who are able to so convincingly lead a team like he does thanks to his outstanding mentality and personality."
