What a turnaround it has been for Granit Xhaka this season! He has drawn plenty of criticism for his performances by sections of the Arsenal faithful at times during his career at the Emirates Stadium, however, Unai Emery appears to have managed to get the best out of the midfielder.

However, it appears the Switzerland international may not see the Gunners as the club where he ends his career and seems to have left the door open about a potential departure in the future.

What’s the News?

Whilst on international duty, Xhaka was speaking in an interview with Swiss website Tagblatt and looked to suggest that he could look to leave Arsenal soon, claiming the Premier League side did not have to be the ‘last stop’.

“I’m very ambitious, I want to take the next step, Arsenal does not have to be the last stop,” he said.

The Verdict:

As mentioned, Xhaka appears to have turned things around at Arsenal this season and has become one of Emery’s most influential and key figures on the pitch.

A player that was once considered to be a liability at times, the 26-year-old know appears to be extremely solid and consistent in the side, whether he is playing in the midfield or further back, whilst he also appears to have been able to help the team attack at times as well.

Clearly, being given some responsibility as a leader by Emery at the beginning of the campaign appears to have helped with his game. Xhaka now looks extremely mature with his performances and looks to be at one with the Spanish manager’s tactics, something that he rarely was when he was playing for Arsene Wenger.

The level of the performances he has produced is certainly something that will have encouraged Arsenal and their fans, as he is looking as though he will continue to get better with each game that passes by, which makes the news that his future could be elsewhere all the more disappointing.

His comments obviously show that he is ambitious and shows that he has a desire to be winning things, however, it would appear that he does not believe he achieve that at the Gunners.

Arsenal are definitely on an upward trajectory at the moment under Emery and Xhaka will certainly play a key role as time continues to roll on, but, how long he decides he can stay at the Emirates Stadium for remains to be seen.

Arsenal fans, what do you make of Xhaka’s comments about going to the next step? Do you think he can achieve that if he were to remain at the club? Join in with the discussion below by sharing your thoughts with us.