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Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has claimed he almost left the Emirates Stadium last summer before signing a new contract until 2024.
The 29-year-old has had mixed success with the Gunners since his arrival in 2016. He was stripped of the club captaincy in November 2019 after he appeared to goad fans when they sarcastically applauded him off the pitch following a series of poor performances.
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TalkSPORT claimed last summer that Jose Mourinho's Roma were interested in signing the Swiss international.
In an interview with ESPN, the tenacious midfielder admitted that Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu kept him at Arsenal. Xhaka confirmed that the rumors about his potential departure were true and when asked why it didn't happen, he replied:
"Because 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.'
"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."
Granit Xhaka insists he is "very happy" at Arsenal
Despite mocking from rival fans, Xhaka has now played 250 times for the club and has established himself as a key member of Mikel Arteta's side.
The Swiss international has stated that he and his family are very happy in London and that he is keen to play for the club as long as possible. The midfielder said:
"I am very happy here. My family is very happy here. I have a contract for another two years, it is true. I will be 30 in September but I don't believe in age. You can be 18, you can be 90, you can be 35. If you have the quality, you can play. We had a lot of people who were here as well, David Luiz for example, who had an amazing career, 33, 34, 35, he is even playing now.
"That's why age is only a number for me. As long as I am fit, as long as I can help the team, I will try to do everything. When the moment comes, I can't do that, I am the first to say to the club: 'I am not ready to do that.'"
