Granit Xhaka on moving from Arsenal to Bayer Leverkusen: “The move from Arsenal to Leverkusen was not a step back, but rather two steps forward.”

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·30 July 2024

Granit Xhaka on moving from Arsenal to Bayer Leverkusen: “The move from Arsenal to Leverkusen was not a step back, but rather two steps forward.”

Article image:Granit Xhaka on moving from Arsenal to Bayer Leverkusen: “The move from Arsenal to Leverkusen was not a step back, but rather two steps forward.”

Speaking at a media round table (via Bild), Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka spoke on why he moved from Arsenal to Bayer Leverkusen as well as the future of teammate Jonathan Tah.

On his move from Arsenal to Bayer Leverkusen, Xhaka said:

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“The move from Arsenal to Leverkusen was not a step back, but rather two steps forward.” The Swiss international then added: “I had exactly the feeling, during conversations with the coach and with Simon Rolfes, that something special can arise here in the next few years.”

Leverkusen heads into this season as Bundesliga and DFB Pokal holders, on their expectations for this season Xhaka said:

“We want even more. Not only this year, but of course we want to play at the top in the coming years. We know that the pressure is now slightly higher than last year. This is also up to us. But of course we want to be able to handle the pressure well. For this, we, the experienced players, also need us to pull the young players with them. And not that you think everything is going by itself now.” Xhaka swears everyone in: “I feel like we have to do more than last year.”

After winning the double last season, Leverkusen have already made steps to improve their squad depth adding Aleix Farcia from Girona, Martin Terrier and Jeanuël Belocian both from Rennes.

Finally, teammate, Jonathan Tah has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich as of late, but recently it has looked like the move will collapse as negotiations between Bayern and Leverkusen never really took off. About the rumours surrounding the long-time Leverkusen central defender, Xhaka said (via Sky Germany):

“Everyone knows that Bayern Munich is a very big club. The interest is an honour for Jonah. But he also knows how important he is to us. He seems very concentrated, focused and not as if his mind is somewhere else. Jonah knows that we are champions. Of course, there are always a few jokes in our team in situations like this, that’s for sure. But we really hope that he stays with us.”

Leverkusen kick off their new campaign on the 17th August when they host VfB Stuttgart in the DFL Super Cup. A week later they then open the new Bundesliga season away against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

GGFN | Jack Meenan