Theo Walcott has opened up about his relationship with one of his former teammates at Arsenal.
It’s been seven years since Walcott said goodbye to Arsenal, leaving behind arguably one of the most underrated legacies in North London.
The Englishman racked up 397 appearances for the Gunners, making the 100 club, scoring 108 times in red and white.
Now a pundit, Walcott has high hopes for Arsenal this season, a feeling he also has about his former teammate, Granit Xhaka.
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Theo Walcott admits he misunderstood Granit Xhaka at Arsenal
In some ways, Arsenal still miss Xhaka, who was sold to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2023.
The midfielder went on to become an Invincible with Leverkusen over the 2023/24 campaign, only to return to the Premier League two years after his transfer.
Many were shocked to see Xhaka sign for Sunderland and become captain of the Black Cats, but it’s so clear that the Swiss star is back where he belongs.
Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, Walcott and host Mark Chapman discussed Xhaka, with the former Gunner admitting that he misunderstood the now Sunderland hero at times.
“Maybe at times at Arsenal, he was misunderstood by fans and media,” Chapman said.
“Maybe by me as well at times,” Walcott revealed, going on to explain what working with Xhaka at Arsenal was really like.
“To be fair, you could always hear him; no matter where you were on the training ground, you could hear him talking to someone,” Walcott said.
“If it’s with a member of staff, a younger player, an experienced player, and he was like that on day one. So for me, his experience is going to set them alight here.”
Walcott expects Xhaka to make things reach a new level at the Stadium of Light, lauding his ex-teammate as a player who never hid when the going got tough.
“No, he was not that player,” Walcott said when asked if Xhaka ever hid.
“We talk about his discipline and red cards, but his experience now, going away to Germany, has really enhanced his level of leadership. I think it was always there, but when you go there and win a title, I think the praise is coming, that’s for sure.”
It’s been quite the year for Xhaka, who, after leaving Bayer Leverkusen, has become a hero at Sunderland in a shock return to England.
Arsenal experience transformed Xhaka
Xhaka will return to the Emirates in February when Arsenal face Sunderland at home in the Premier League.
North London will welcome the midfielder back with warm wishes, but things could’ve been so different, and once were.
When Xhaka was booed off the pitch during Unai Emery’s tenure, there was great uncertainty about how the midfielder could ever turn things around.
The Switzerland international did just that, leaving Arsenal still at the top of his game, leading him to win the Bundesliga with Leverkusen before returning to England.
Equipped with the experience of the highest highs and lowest lows, Xhaka is now thriving at Sunderland, in what has been a revolutionary move for the 32-year-old.
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