Xhaka was speaking to CBS Soccer and also described the similarities between Arteta and his new boss Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen.
Of course, the midfielder is now thriving back in the Bundesliga with Leverkusen still sat top of the league ahead of Bayern Munich.
But harping back to his days at Arsenal, Xhaka did confirm that he left things on very good terms with Arteta.
He said: “I had a very, very good relationship with Mikel, of course.
“A young coach who had a first job at a big, big club like Arsenal, of course [like] Xabi now.
“I see not a lot of big difference between them.
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“They think the same, they work the same. I’m more than happy, it’s a privilege for me to have Mikel before and Xabi now.”
Xhaka also went on to explain how he didn’t necessarily see Leverkusen as a step down from Arsenal – understandable given their position in the league.
Granit Xhaka says he had an excellent relationship with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal
Of course, there is still some unrest among Arsenal fans over the decision to sell Xhaka this summer.
It was certainly peculiar to see a player leave the club after having their best season in an Arsenal shirt.
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Xhaka has often spoken about his desire for a new challenge – so perhaps that was the motivation for Arsenal’s decision on a human level.
However, Arsenal definitely miss Xhaka on the pitch.
Kai Havertz seemed as the intended replacement, but he will need time to learn a new role.
Moreover, Declan Rice is also having to learn a new skill set whilst playing at number eight, a position he doesn’t yet see as his best.
So whilst Arteta and Arsenal may have seen fit to sell Xhaka this summer, it has created a problem in the squad.
Not one that can’t be solved, but it will clearly take some patient experimentation.
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