Granit Xhaka

I'd no longer be the same player without my rigorousness, and certainly not the player Arsenal wanted.

I guess I'd say I'm quite an aggressive player. Fair but aggressive, someone who likes the tough stuff.

I've picked up quite a few yellow cards in the last few years - a few reds, too. That was the case as a youth player as it is now. But I don't see it as a problem. That's how I play. If you take that away, then I wouldn't be where I am now. So I don't think the yellow cards or the red cards are too big of an issue.

I play with a lot of emotion because I'm a passionate guy, and I play with that passion. I love playing that way. Sometimes you're late onto the ball, sometimes you're not. Sometimes you make contact with the guy when you tackle him, sometimes not. It's a sport where individual duels are vital, so I don't see it as a problem.

I heard my new team-mates saying, 'We have got to hope that we don't go down.' I thought to myself, 'What kind of a mentality is that?'

When you want too much, you don't usually achieve much.

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.

You have to be completely there in every game, and as soon as you drop your level even one per cent, you concede goals.

We are young; we are naive with money. Money can go fast. If anyone thinks he is something better just because he has more money in the account, then he can very quickly fall on your face.

The family is our greatest luxury.

Arsenal is Arsenal. It's not a small club; it's a very big club, and it's like a family. It's very good for me because I love my family, and to have another family here is very good.

The expectations are high, so we know: If we do not meet them, there is criticism. We have high expectations ourselves. We are not happy with fourth, third, or second, either.

My goal is to become a key player in one of the ten best clubs in the world and become a leader there.

I've had four beautiful years at Monchengladbach and owe the club a lot.

Here at Basel is where I made my first professional steps. I came up and grew up through the FC Basel school.

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.

In football, you just have to develop yourself.

Each month from our income - we have a separate account, obviously - we give 80 percent of it to our parents back home.

I think, when a manager has been at a club for more than 20 years, he can only have a positive impact.

I'm a hard-working young man who believes in myself.

You always need a certain amount of time to fully adjust; it was no different when I moved to the Bundesliga.

I'm a person who thinks realistically but has dreams and fantasies as well.

I think in football everything is possible.

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.

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

In Camden, it's just the atmosphere that gets me. It's simple. It's nice. It's real. And it's the people, too. I like to interact with them because they are normal and I am normal. People probably don't expect an Arsenal player to come to Camden Lock and, basically, be a normal guy.

I am a very simple man. I love normality, and I love normal people. I love to eat normal food. It's how I grew up.

Personally, I can handle criticism, especially when it is deserved, and it's because my dad never, ever said 'Well done' to me. He did it on purpose so that I kept my feet on the ground.

One of the most revealing details about my parents is that they only got together three months before my dad's arrest.

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.

My dad played football, too, in the former Yugoslavia.

Every Monday, we're asked to undertake jump tests to check the conditions of our muscles. There's nothing you can hide. Once a week, they do urine tests, and your body fat percentage is tested regularly. The doctors cover all bases.

In Germany, you can play aggressively, but the referee will always blow his whistle, but in England, that's not the case. That's better for me.

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.

I never used to be taken seriously as a Swiss person.

I will give everything to help Arsenal win trophies and make the fans happy.

It's true that my father was imprisoned for three and a half years, and it was because he stood up for what he believed in. It's not a taboo subject in our household. We talk about it. After all, I want to know what happened.

I can't stand people who are backward. I am honest, straightforward. I don't like to pretend. And I will not change either.

I have a good relationship with the Albanian fans. But when you are called a traitor - that is such a harsh word. Most of the Albanian fans respect me. But 'traitor' is unacceptable considering the background of my family.

Individual quality doesn't decide games for us but the whole team.

It could be very costly if you don't have a clear mind during a tournament.

Lots of people talk about the character of our team, that it's not right and that we need to do more. But we always show that we can come back.

I am in an outstanding city, an outstanding club. The only thing that Arsenal has been missing is a league title.

I don't think Gladbach are on the same level as Arsenal.

I am still young; I am still fresh, and I want more.

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

When I think about a mid-table club like Everton spending £150 million during the summer, I am lost for words.

In games, you notice there's more sprints than in Bundesliga. It takes a while to get used to.

I have never had any contact with Bayern Munich, let alone have agreed personal terms.

I compliment Kramer perfectly. We both put in a lot of legwork, win many balls, and we're comfortable with the ball at our feet. We also talk a lot both off and on the pitch.