Bayer Leverkusen midfielder and former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka has revealed that the Gunners did their utmost to push him out of the door in 2019, but Mikel Arteta was the only person at the club to show him "respect".
The Switzerland international called time on his Emirates career at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, ending a tumultuous seven-year spell in North London which may be best remembered for his Crystal Palace outburst in 2019.
While serving as club captain during the Unai Emery era, Xhaka was jeered off the field against the Eagles by the home crowd, to which he responded furiously, swearing at the Emirates faithful and ripping off his shirt before storming down the tunnel.
Xhaka's Arsenal career appeared dead in the water as he was stripped of the captaincy in the wake of the incident, and opening up on that low point of his career to The Athletic, the Swiss lynchpin admits that he and his family went through "hell".
"To this day, I can't really say what happened to me (in) that moment," Xhaka recalled. Palace was not a bad game from me, not a top game either. I was surprised seeing my number up, as captain, in the 60th minute. I thought it was maybe a misunderstanding, perhaps they thought I was p**sed off (with the substitution)?
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"They booed me almost immediately. I thought, 'OK, it's me against 60 000, what do I do?'. Looking back, you regret things, but maybe you're also happy that you did certain things. I'm still not sure... But I do know this: that day wasn't easy.
"I was convinced I would get through it all, but for my parents and my wife it was hell. My agent was also in the ground. We were supposed to meet the club about a new contract two days later. That never happened, of course."
Only a month after Xhaka's Emirates flare-up, Emery was sacked as Arsenal manager, and the Gunners hired managerial novice Arteta to lead the team following a brief stint under the tutelage of Freddie Ljungberg.
With Arteta at the helm, Xhaka was talked into remaining at Arsenal and enjoyed an unforeseen redemption tale as he played a fundamental role in the Spaniard's system, being given licence to roam in the final third as a number eight.
The 31-year-old detailed how Arteta was the only person at the club to show him any respect while the powers-that-be tried to force him out of the door, and he even defied his father's wishes to continue in red and white.
"The club showed me little respect even though I was the captain. It was clear they wanted to get rid of me as quickly as possible, apart from one person: Mikel Arteta," Xhaka added.
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"When I met him for the first time, my bags were already packed and I was about to hop on a plane. With my heart and soul, I had already left the club. I said to him, 'The solution is for me to go'. Mikel told me he wanted me to stay. But I wasn't sure.
"I remember speaking to my dad at the time. He told me, 'Let's go'. For the first time ever, he told me to run away. He said there was no future for me at Arsenal. I could not imagine myself playing for Arsenal again.
"I said to him, 'I just want to be somewhere where the fans don't boo me'. But he was so convincing. For the first time in my life, I took a decision without talking to my family first. I got up and said, 'OK, I'll stay'. We embraced and, from that day on, I returned to training and it was like nothing ever happened."
A stellar farewell campaign at Arsenal saw Xhaka contribute seven goals and seven assists from 37 Premier League matches, establishing a fearsome midfield partnership with Thomas Partey to help Arteta's side finish second in the table.
Since swapping London for Leverkusen, the 31-year-old has continued to flourish under another erstwhile midfielder in Xabi Alonso, starting 15 Bundesliga games as Die Werkself sit four points clear of perennial champions Bayern Munich at the top of the table.
The Bundesliga will pause for a Christmas break after the next round of fixtures, and Xhaka has confirmed that he will return to the Emirates to say a proper goodbye when Arsenal host West Ham United on December 28.
