Granit Xhaka

“He's not a coach who speaks to you every day. Wenger has spoken to me two or three times. He's told me he's very impressed by how I train and how I'm a disciplined character.”

“The first few months in a new country are always really hard.”

“Family is the most important thing to me. Especially my brother Taulant - we talk about everything together.”

“I'm looking forward to the new adventure. Playing in the Premier League was always my dream, and I'm definitely going to relish this opportunity and give my absolute everything for this club.”

“What happens here, the daily agenda of Arsenal, is very different from what I experienced in Monchengladbach.”

“I wouldn't change myself for anybody. I am who I am; people accept me, or they don't. I have my strengths and my weaknesses, which I can try to improve upon, of course. I'm still not the finished product.”

“Arsenal prepare the players in the best way. They pay attention to every detail. We are able to recover optimally during our flights. The food and the service, everything's geared perfectly to each other.”

“It's aggressive, and I like the way Arsenal play football. It's not like other countries, but it's very, very nice here.”

“It's not like I played my first football match in England. For me, football is pretty much the same everywhere; the ball is round, but maybe tactically, things are different than at other clubs I've played for.”

“In football, you get criticised if you are sent off. It's my style of play, and nobody can make me change that. Even if I get another red card, then that happens. You become cleverer, maybe look more, and since my red card, I think things have improved.”

“You can't afford to rest on your laurels at all, or you'll instantly be on the bench.”

“I remember I was young, and the first game I watched was in the Premier League. It's a big dream for me, and now that I'm here, I am very, very happy.”

“I don't mind being criticised, because I am not that easy to knock down, and no-one can destroy me. But I am bothered by the stupid people who call me dirty, brainless, and an idiot. You don't say words like these to someone who you know nothing about.”

“I think in football everything is possible.”

“A club like Arsenal, it's normal that expectations are high. This club must compete for titles, and that's what we want to do.”

“Actually, it's normal when you come to a new club and country: you need to get used to the language, the philosophy of the team, the squad, the coach.”

“My brother was always going to go in the direction of football. With me, it was more between school and football. Eventually, it worked out for both of us. We're pleased to have gone down that path. I'm proud that my parents always supported us, in good and in bad times. You need that.”

“Here in the Premier League, you have to give 100 per cent for the whole 90 minutes. It's not like after 70 minutes you can say, 'We're 2-0 up, so let's have some fun now' - that doesn't happen in the Premier League.”

“There a lot of occasions when Albanians cause trouble, but then we are also very nice people. People sometimes forget that there are good people from the Balkans as well.”

“I am a regular for one of the biggest clubs in Europe, and I want to progress still further.”