Granit Xhaka Clarifies Wife’s Role in Arsenal Departure Years After Instagram Storm

• Granit Xhaka appeared to confirm that he will leave Arsenal this summer
• The midfielder, however, rebuffed reports that his wife played a role in his decision
• It has previously been reported that Xhaka's wife is angling for a move back to Germany

Granit Xhaka has moved in to quickly reject rumours that his wife played any role in his potential Arsenal departure this summer.

Xhaka is expected to depart from the club at the end of a season where they desperately came close to winning the title. Arsenal finished second behind Manchester City after losing steam towards the end of the season.

The midfielder is believed to be on his way to Bayer Leverkusen, with Mikel Arteta already giving his blessing. In what seemed like a fairytale farewell, Xhaka scored twice against Wolves in the 5-0 demolition at Emirates Stadium on the final day of the campaign.

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Xhaka Arsenal farewell

He was substituted in the 75th minute and received a defeating standing ovation as he trudged off the pitch. As he left the stadium later that day, he was stopped by Arsenal fans who wanted autographs. As the Mirror reports, the Swiss star appeared to confirm that he would be leaving.

Xhaka was then asked if his wife played any role in his decision which he vehemently denied.

"It is not about the missus!"

Leonita Lekaj's relationship with Arsenal fans

Xhaka's wide, Leonita Lekaj, is said to have engineered the move from England to Germany, where she is from. The pair met in 2015 when Xhaka played for Borussia Monchengladbach before they moved to England after the Arsenal move. Goal reports that Lekaj has wanted to go back to Germany for a long time now.

Lekaj has also been in the news in the past when she changed her Instagram account to private after getting insulted by Arsenal fans. This came in the wake of Xhaka insulting the fans in 2020 - an incident that saw him get stripped of the captaincy, as reported by Sky Sports.

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Xhaka will leave having accumulated close to 300 appearances for Arsenal. In his time in North London, he won two FA Cups and two Community Shields.

Courtois De Bruyne love triangle

Sticking with spouses, Sports Brief reported that Thibaut Courtois' recent Champions League final prediction was very subtle at face value. The Real Madrid goalkeeper admitted that he would like to see Romelu Lukaku beat Kevin De Bruyne in the Istanbul final on June 10.

De Bruyne starred in Manchester City's demolition of Courtois' Real Madrid in the semifinal, while Inter Milan saw off cross-town rivals AC Milan to qualify for their first final since 2010.

However, fans read the goalkeeper's wishes differently. Courtois and De Bruyne are always believed not to see eye to eye due to an incident that happened in 2012/2013.