Granit Xhaka sends four-word message to Arsenal after making long-awaited return

Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has sent his love to supporters after he made his return to north London for the first time since leaving the club in the summer.

Xhaka spent seven years in north London before joining Bayer Leverkusen. The Swiss international has played a huge role in Leverkusen's rise to the top of the Bundesliga under Xabi Alonso.

The German league is currently in the midst of a winter break, meaning Xhaka has been able to travel back to England to watch his former club in action. Xhaka and his wife, Leonita, were in attendance to witness the Gunners' 2-0 defeat to West Ham United - their third of the season.

"It will be our chance to say goodbye to the players, the staff and the supporters properly," the midfielder told The Athletic recently. However, the 31-year-old's return to the Emirates Stadium wasn't a happy one.

Mikel Arteta's men failed to return to the top of the Premier League table as Tomas Soucek and Konstantinos Mavropanos earned the Hammers a vital three points.

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Despite the disappointing evening, Xhaka sent a heart-warming message to the Gunners faithful on his personal Instagram story. Alongside a video of the stadium before kick-off with the 'North London Forever' anthem heard, he wrote: "Always in my *red heart emoji @arsenal."

Xhaka's wife also posted a message on Instagram, sharing an image of the tunnel inside the Emirates Stadium with a red heart emoji. Unfortunately, their return to the capital didn't go how they would have hoped.