"It wasn't easy for Arsenal to let me leave"

The Swiss midfielder left the Emirates Stadium in the summer transfer window to start a new adventure at Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen. The German club reportedly paid £21.4 million for his services and the 30-year-old is looking forward to his new challenge in the Bundesliga.
"I spent seven magnificent years at Arsenal, I didn't want to play against them. It wasn't easy for me to leave or for the club to let me go. I felt love and respect from Edu and Arteta, but I wanted to face a new challenge at Bayer Leverkusen," Xhaka told 'Marca'.
"They [Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso] have a very similar philosophy. Mikel is incredible, not only as a coach, and I think Xabi is on the same line. They both see football very differently other coaches I've had," he added.
The 30-year-old played 297 competitive matches for the Gunners, scoring 23 goals and assisting 29 times.