Mikel Arteta has revealed that he convinced Granit Xhaka to change his mind concerning his Arsenal future, with the midfielder now poised to stay at the club.

The former Gunners captain looked set to be on his way out of the Emirates after his outburst at fans who booed him off the pitch during their clash against Crystal Place in October, in an incident, which cost him his captaincy.

The midfielder's agent even claimed that he agreed terms with Bundesliga side, Hertha Berlin in December, but the Arsenal head coach has revealed that the pair held positive talks about the Swiss international's future.

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"The first message for him was that I wanted to understand how he was feeling, why he was feeling that way," Arteta said.

"I wanted him to hear from me my opinion on him, and that I was ready to support him and that I was ready to push the club to be supportive of him too, because I thought he could be a really, really good player for us and he could enjoy playing under me in this football club.

"I tried to convince him that way. He thought about it, he had a very positive response afterwards, and I think he changed his mind.