Granit Xhaka happy to be staying ‘home’ after signing new Arsenal deal

Xhaka’s
previous
deal
was
due
to
expire
in
2023
but
he
has
reportedly
agreed
to
remain
at
the
Premier
League
club
for
an
extra
year,
with
the
option
of
a
further
extension
until
2025.

The
Gunners
captain,
who
was
heavily
linked
with
a
move
to
Roma
during
the
offseason,
admitted
his
delight
in
a
post
on
Instagram.

“Home
is
where
the
heart
is
–
really
proud
to
extend
my
stay
at
Arsenal,”
Xhaka
wrote
to
accompany
a
picture
of
him
signing
the
contract.

Mikel
Arteta’s
side
are
yet
to
announce
the
news
officially,
though
the
club’s
website
has
referenced
the
extension
and
Arsenal
owners
Stan
and
Josh
Kroenke
also
revealed
the
news
in
the
programme
notes
before
the
home
game
against
Chelsea
on
Sunday
(August
22).

Xhaka
was
a
regular
last
term,
with
only
Bukayo
Saka
(46)
appearing
more
times
among
Arsenal
midfielders.

The
28-year-old
started
42
times,
provided
two
assists
and
created
20
chances
in
total,
while
also
adding
a
goal
of
his
own
with
a
free-kick
against
Chelsea.

Xhaka
recorded
a
passing
accuracy
of
89.89
per
cent,
with
only
Mohamed
Elneny
(92.08)
and
Martin
Odegaard
(90.38)
bettering
his
success
rate.

The
Switzerland
international
led
the
way
in
terms
of
recoveries,
regaining
possession
281
times
and
making
74
tackles
–
ranking
him
first
for
both
aspects
among
midfield
team-mates.