Sunderland fans will be very excited for the upcoming Premier League season now as the Black Cats attempt to cause an instant storm on their arrival, rather than just being content with making up the numbers.
Regis Le Bris and Co. have been extremely busy this summer fine-tuning their options to give themselves the best possible chance at sealing survival and achieving even more, with the standout purchase of Granit Xhaka finally happening, sending shockwaves through the top-flight.
For £17m, the Black Cats have won themselves a potential steal, as the Swiss international prepares to return to the division where he made a name for himself as a tough battler from the middle of the park for Arsenal.
Why Xhaka is a standout deal
The 32-year-old also boasts vast experience in top divisions beyond just the Premier League, having been a staple at Bayer Leverkusen over the last two seasons, before returning to English shores.
Indeed, across the last two campaigns, Xhaka was an ever-present force centrally, with six goals and nine assists coming his way at the BayArena from 99 appearances.
But it’s his no-nonsense, battling attitude that will have caught Sunderland’s eye even more as they attempt to stave off the drop zone in the Premier League, as seen in Xhaka averaging 5.4 ball recoveries per Bundesliga clash last season when tirelessly fighting for his side’s cause.
For the Gunners, the 32-year-old battled with even more intensity, with Xhaka throwing himself into a high 1001 duels in total across his 225 league appearances in North London.
17 goals and 24 assists were also tallied up in the brutal division, with the brand new Sunderland number 34’s ideal blend of skill and grit making him a top asset for Le Bris’ men as they venture up a level.
He could soon be joined by another talent that is also both sleek and combative, if necessary, as Le Bris’ midfield options become more and more stacked by the day.
Xhaka's "incredible" potential midfield partner
It will all be about reining in Xhaka’s aggressiveness, however, as the two-time FA Cup winner did end up with four red cards during his Emirates career.
However, they won’t want to eradicate this side of his game completely, with fellow new recruits that are set to join the building also potentially possessing this bite in their varied game.
New Sunderland target Gabriel Sara – who has been tipped to make a £26m move back to England – certainly showed a spiky side when donning Norwich City yellow and green, as seen in him averaging 4.8 duels won on average across his swansong Championship campaign with the Canaries.
This attritional side to his character means he could well happily line up as a defensive midfield option alongside Xhaka, but in Le Bris’ trusty 4-2-3-1 set-up, the well-rounded Brazilian might be better suited to a number ten role, as the Swiss international prepares to set the 26-year-old up for plenty of chances on Wearside from deep.
Games played
40
46
Goals scored
7
13
Assists
4
12
Touches*
53.4
76.6
Accurate passes*
29.8 (80%)
47.9 (86%)
Key passes*
1.7
2.6
Big chances created
6
16
Total duels won*
3.3
4.8
From this role at Carrow Road, Sara would turn into an “incredible” star for his second-tier outfit – as he was dubbed by U23 football scout Antonio Mango – with his final offering during the 2023/24 season seeing him pick up a staggering 25 goal contributions from 46 league clashes.
He has since refined his game even more in Turkey with Galatasaray, with two goals and ten assists coming his way from 45 games, further allowing him to live up to his “exceptional” billing by Canaries-based journalist Conor Southwell.
Both Xhaka and Sara together have the shared class to enhance Sunderland centrally, as the pair prepare to potentially link up with each other to help their new side succeed in the Premier League.
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