Kelly Somers: What’s been the toughest point in your career?
Granit Xhaka: I have two tough moments. The first one was when I moved for the first time away from my family at nearly 19 to Germany. It was very difficult for me. Everyone knows how close I am to my family and to be away from them was hard. I didn’t get the minutes I wanted [on the pitch] and I wanted to leave in January after six months, but I had my dad behind me. He said: ‘If you walk now, you will always walk away, so head down and just work.’ I did, and everything changed.
The second part is not a big secret. It was 2019 when I had this… I call it a misunderstanding… with the fans of Arsenal. Two moments where I think that I became stronger and better because it’s part of a process. It’s part of writing the whole history. On one side, very bad. On one side, I was lucky to have it.
Kelly: Now you’re back in the Premier League, have you had an opportunity to reflect on your whole period at Arsenal? Because you had some incredible highs as well as some really difficult moments…
Granit: In general, I think people just think about this moment in 2019. But I came in 2016, so to be part of a football club for seven years makes me proud… it’s not easy to be on this level for seven years. And, of course, when I left Arsenal it was a hard decision for myself and for my family because we were happy there. But I got another offer on the table where I was thinking more far [ahead] than in the moment. To be honest, I didn’t expect to be back in the Premier League after two years again. This was not the plan for myself, or for our family.
Kelly: So you never wanted to come back?
Granit: It’s not that I didn’t want to, but it wasn’t planned. When I moved from Arsenal, I signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen. So everything was planned around what happens after five years. But I always say in football, you never know where you are tomorrow.
Kelly: Why did you come back then?
Granit: Even the people closest to me were saying: ‘Why are you going back to the Premier League to join Sunderland?’ I came back because I love the challenge and I had the feeling I need a new challenge. After two years in Germany, where in the first year we won nearly everything… unbeaten in the Bundesliga, won the cup, lost the final of Europa League, which was very painful. I just had the feeling with the owner when I spoke with them – with the club, with the coach – this is the right club for me, because the people are very humble. It’s a small city like where I grew up. I just wanted to come back in a reality which I believe is the right direction for myself, for my family. I’m just happy that everything at the moment is going how I wanted it to.
Kelly: You must have expected it to go well because otherwise you wouldn’t have come here. But has it exceeded your expectations?
Granit: The first thing I said to the club was: ‘I’m not coming here to play in the Premier League for one year and to go down, because I’m leaving a Champions League club. I’m coming here to to push this project.’
Kelly: I find it fascinating, because you must have had other offers to come back to the Premier League…
Granit: It was a busy summer to be honest! I’m 33, I spoke with my brother and I said: ‘I never have had so many offers!’ The summer was very busy because every day someone else came. But I decided for myself – after 20 minutes on the call with the owner – I wanted to go to Sunderland. I was so sure.