Switzerland International Granit Xhaka joins Bayer Leverkusen

Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka has joined German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen from Arsenal in a £21.4m deal.

The 30-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year contract with the Bay Arena outfit.

Xhaka joined the north London club in 2016 and was briefly captain in 2019. Although still with a year left on his Arsenal contract, he was widely expected to depart the club this summer.

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With Arsenal set to capture the signature of England midfielder Declan Rice in a British record deal from West Ham, Xhaka was going to go down the pecking order.

Xhaka scored 23 times in 297 matches for the Gunners, helping them win the FA Cup twice. He was an integral unit of the Arsenal team that finished as runners-up in the Premier League last season.

From Villain to Hero

He scored twice during the final game of the season, which was a 5-0 home victory over Wolves. He was given a standing ovation as he was substituted late on in the game.

Xhaka was close to leaving Arsenal in 2019 following an altercation between him and fans of the club. This happened after he was substituted in a match against Crystal Palace in October of that year.

The aftermath of that ugly incident saw him stripped of the captaincy by then manager Unai Emery. Xhaka was captain of Arsenal for only a little over a month.

However, Xhaka leaves Arsenal as a man loved by all and sundry at the club. His commitment during his time at the club was never in doubt. He departs Arsenal as a hero not a villain.

In 2021, Arsenal turned down a bid of £12.9m for Xhaka from Serie A club AS Roma.

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Xhaka is not new to the Bundesliga as he was a Borussia Monchengladbach player for four years. He left the club to join the Gunners for a reported £35m in 2016.