"My time at Arsenal was over"

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.

The 31-year-old gave an interview to 'NZZ am Sonntag' and spoke about both his new life in Germany and his reasons for leaving the Emirates Stadium. 

"I didn’t come to Leverkusen as a boss, but because I was looking for a new challenge. I felt like my time at Arsenal was over for me after seven years in London," he began. 

"I came here as an experienced player and person. The other players see that I can give them something of what I have learned. That’s part of my role here.

"It was sometimes written that I was coming back to Germany because of my wife. That’s not the truth. Like me, she was very happy in London. I made the decision solely as a footballer and athlete. 

"I came to a top club in Germany that has a plan and wants to achieve something. Of course the change was easier for us because, like me, we used to live in Dusseldorf and it is close to Monchengladbach, where my wife grew up," he concluded.

 

October 2, 2023