Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has conceded that he would no longer be on the books at the Emirates if Mikel Arteta did not arrive at the club.
The Switzerland captain has endured a fractious relationship with Arsenal fans since his arrival in 2016, which came to a head during Unai Emery's ill-fated tenure.
Emery handed Xhaka the armband, but the midfielder was then stripped of the captaincy after swearing and gesturing to supporters against Crystal Palace in 2019.
Fans cheered when Xhaka's name was announced prior to his substitution, and he retaliated by taking off his shirt and storming down the Emirates tunnel in that 2-2 draw.
However, the 29-year-old earned the trust of Arteta and has now become one of the Spaniard's first-team regulars, but he has admitted that he was "very close" to a move elsewhere last summer.
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"Without him [Arteta], I would not be here in this football club anymore. He helped me a lot when I was completely down," Xhaka told ESPN.
"He took me aside, helped me with small things, step by step, tactically, as a person, mentality, between the team and the club, tried to help me as well with the fans. He is a freak in a positive way.
"Tactically, he knows everything. How he prepares the team before training, before the games, is unbelievable. I had a lot of coaches, but I have to put Mikel as one of the top ones in my career."
Jose Mourinho was believed to be pushing to sign Xhaka for Roma last year, but Arteta and Edu instead elected to keep the midfielder at the club and hand him a contract extension until 2024.
"It was something, yes. [It was] very close. Mikel was the guy with [technical director] Edu, they didn't let me go because they wanted to keep me here. Of course, my first reaction was to stay at the football club, but they opened the door: 'If something comes, I can leave.'
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"I have to be honest as well. I don't want to say a name now, but the door was open for me to leave the club as well. But in the end, people decided to keep me here. I am very happy here. My family is very happy here. I have a contract for another two years.
"I can see something is growing here. Sometimes you need more time than the people want, but I have a feeling that we are in a good way. Last season, we were very close to achieving something and this season, let's start and after we can speak again after 38 games. Hopefully we are where we want to be."
Xhaka has now amassed 14 goals and 22 assists in 250 outings for the Gunners in all competitions, but he has also received five red cards in his Arsenal career.
Arteta's side will continue their pre-season campaign against Orlando City on Wednesday night before meeting Chelsea and Sevilla later this month, with the latter coming in the Emirates Cup.
The Gunners have already beaten Ipswich Town, Nuremberg and Everton this summer and will open the new Premier League season against Crystal Palace on August 5.
Ben Knapton
