Granit Xhaka shares what he thinks when he sees Arsenal flying at the top of the Premier League

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Granit Xhaka has revealed what he thinks of Arsenal’s exceptional current form in the Premier League.

The Gunners travel to Sunderland this weekend, looking to establish a nine-point lead at the top of the table before Manchester City play Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Mikel Arteta’s team cruised to victory over Slavia Prague on Tuesday night, to secure their tenth straight win in all competitions, and their eighth without conceding.

This imperious form may have surprised many fans and pundits, but Xhaka has revealed that he’s not remotely shocked.

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Granit Xhaka shares his thoughts on Arsenal’s form

Xhaka spent seven years at Arsenal between 2016 and 2023.

Making almost 300 appearances in a red and white shirt, things weren’t always rosy for him in North London. He endured ridicule from fans and the media during some of the Gunners’ most turbulent seasons in modern times, although he did come out the other side of this with flying colours.

Xhaka became a staple figure in Arteta’s midfield, including in the first Arsenal side that competed for the Premier League title under the Spaniard in 2022/23.

Three years on from that, and the Gunners are still perennially at the summit of the English top flight, and the Swiss has revealed that he’s not surprised by this.

“Every year Mikel was doing new things, every year he brings something,” he told the Athletic.

“And if you look at them in these first 10 games this season, they look very stable with and without the ball. I’m not surprised, I know how they work.”

Xhaka said earlier this week that playing Arsenal will be ’emotional’, and it’s clear from this series of interviews he’s undertaken in the build-up to the clash that he still has a connection to the Gunners.

Stopping Granit Xhaka will be key for Arsenal this weekend

Xhaka has been Sunderland’s best player this season.

The metronomic midfielder ranks highly in almost every metric for the Black Cats and is already their club captain, clearly highlighting his importance to Regis Le Bris’ side.

This is the first time Xhaka has played in a team that doesn’t dominate possession for some time, and this has inevitably meant his passing numbers have dropped off somewhat.

That said, he’s still using the ball incredibly effectively, completing over six progressive passes per 90 minutes and playing 1.6 key passes.

He’s also producing the most defensive output he ever has in his career. Clearly if the Gunners can negate what Xhaka does well on Saturday, they have an excellent chance of claiming all three points on Tyneside.