'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is happy to be back on track with Gunners fans and is excited to show them the player he always wanted to be.
Xhaka scored in Arsenal's 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby on October 1. the latest eye-catching performance from the Swiss this season.
The Emirates Stadium faithful have got behind Xhaka this season as the midfielder has made nine appearances, scoring two goals and contributing three assists.
The former Borussia Monchengladbach man has not always had the fondest of relationships with the fans.
Xhaka has spoken to the club's official website, where he spoke of his delight at hearing the fans sing his name in the side's recent 4-0 win over Bournemouth:
“It was funny because I was joking with Alex Zinchenko in the warm-up."
He continued,
"They were singing his name after just three weeks at Arsenal. I told him ‘Alex I’ve been here for six years and I don’t have a song and you have just got here and you do!"
“So I was joking with him on the pitch beforehand, and then at the end of the game I could hear our supporters singing my name. Maybe they heard me chatting to Alex!"
Xhaka then touched on how he feels on having got back on the same wavelength as the Gunners supporters:
“But seriously, it was an absolutely amazing, amazing feeling for me, because everybody knows what I went through with the fans. That’s in the past now."
He concluded:
“To turn it round and be able to show them the Granit that I always wanted to show them, to feel connected and feel their love gave me much, much, much more self-belief, and also more desire to give them something back."
Xhaka bounces back from past issues with Arsenal fans
Xhaka and Gunners supporters have certainly had their problems in the past.
The Swiss midfielder used to be club captain until he was stripped of the armband in 2019 following a spat with fans.
He was substituted during a league game against Crystal Palace in October 2019.
Gunners fans would boo the Swiss for a poor performance in the 2-2 draw and he retaliated by throwing his shirt to the ground in anger.
Then-Arsenal manager Unai Emery would strip him of the captaincy and there was a feeling that the player would leave following that ordeal.
However, he has remained at the Emirates Stadium and is now one of the first names on Mikel Arteta's teamsheet.
The midfielder has been a key part of the Gunners' impressive start to the season.
They sit at the top of the league table with seven wins and one defeat in eight and next up is a home clash with Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on October 6.
