Granit Xhaka is one of the most senior players in Unai Emery's Arsenal side, especially after a summer reshuffle saw Petr Cech and Laurent Koscielny both leave the Emirates Stadium.
The Swiss midfielder is one of Emery's captains for the season and, if all cards fall the right way, he could end up wearing the armband on a permanent basis.
It could have all been different though, as back in 2013/14 Mark Hughes, then the manager of Stoke City, was looking to bolster his midfield ranks during the winter window.
He wanted a fiesty player in midfield to compete with the likes of Glenn Whelan, Steven Nzonzi and Charlie Adam, and it appears that Xhaka was a player he targeted.
Max Eberl, Borussia Monchengladbach's sporting director, has revealed as much in a discussion about current starlet Michael Cuisance, where he is essentially telling him to bide his time.
"Granit's career in Gladbach did not run like sliced bread for the first year and a half. He was almost ready to be loaned to Stoke. I told him, 'If you go to Stoke now, you'll never end up at a big club - but you could,'" he told Sport1.
