Arsenal's year-long pursuit of Granit Xhaka revealed - 'I was almost speechless when Arsene Wenger called'

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James Benge25 May 2016

Granit Xhaka has revealed he was first made aware of Arsenal's interest in him a year ago after his new club announced his signing on Wednesday.

The Swiss midfielder has signed a five year contract at the Emirates for a fee believed to be in the region of £34million, making him the third most expensive player in the club's history.

News of Xhaka's impending arrival at Arsenal leaked over the weekend when images of the Swiss international's photoshoot at the club's Colney training ground leaked on social media.

And the former Borussia Monchengladbach captain has revealed that he found it difficult to keep quiet as his arrival drew closer.

"It was a very difficult week for me," he told reporters in Switzerland. "I found myself on tour with Gladbach in Switzerland and had to keep a muzzle on myself, even though that's not something I like to do."

However the move to the Premier League had been a possibility for much longer than a few weeks, with Arsenal having scouted Xhaka on multiple occasions over the past year.

Even Xhaka himself had been aware of interest from the Emirates for some time.

He confirmed that he had first spoken to Arsene Wenger "a year ago", adding: "I was almost speechless when he called."

It was the possibility of working with the Arsenal manager that ultimately swayed Xhaka, who was also reported to be a target for Liverpool and last year turned down a move to Atletico Madrid.

"Arsène is a legend for me," he said. "I often had him as a manager on the PlayStation. He’s a gentleman, full stop."

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