Sunderland AFC have reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen for the transfer of midfielder Granit Xhaka. This deal represents the new frontier of the transfer market. Xhaka’s seven year tenure at Arsenal, where the player developed his on-field leadership abilities. Now, he’s set to apply that wealth of experience to the English Championship club.
In his seven years with Arsenal, Xhaka made 297 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 23 goals and adding 26 assists. His term was a mixture of triumphs and troubles. Public fallout with the club’s faithful supporters saw the former manager, Unai Emery, remove him from club captaincy. Under Mikel Arteta, Xhaka struggled to reestablish himself on the team. He passed with flying colors, and he proved to be a key player yet again.
Xhaka’s performance metrics scream his quality as a midfielder. Last term, the 90 per cent pass accuracy greatly pleased the Atletico coaching staff. This exceptional performance vaulted him into the ranks of the best playmakers in the league. Remarkably, he was topped only by his Real Madrid successor, Joshua Kimmich, in both passes completed in open play and final-third balls delivered.
Erik ten Hag, for his part, originally assumed Xhaka would remain at Leverkusen given how well he’d performed in his Arsenal tenure. It was because in his mind, losing such a massively influential player just wasn’t possible. That was before Sunderland entered discussions with the German side regarding an undisclosed transfer fee.
Simon Rolfes, Leverkusen’s sporting managing director, emphasized Xhaka’s importance to the team.
“Clearly, Granit is a leader. He signed for five years and has three years left on his contract. He’s too important for us to let go.” – Simon Rolfes
This leadership quality will undoubtedly be valuable for Sunderland as they look to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season. Expressing his views on Xhaka’s importance to the team, Rolfes went on to add,
“I’ve always said that Granit is an important leader. The coach and I have a very similar perspective.” – Simon Rolfes
Xhaka’s journey has been anything but straightforward. For all the vitriol he received at Arsenal and his frequent indiscipline that led to numerous red cards, both Arsène Wenger and Mikel Arteta recognized the talent within. That’s why they decided to retain him in one of the most important spots on their roster.
Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Sunderland are full of optimism after a summer of stabilisation. They are hoping that Xhaka’s experience and outstanding playmaking ability will shore up their midfield. His arrival already looks like being central to their efforts in winning promotion back to the Premier League.
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