Sunderland Reluctant to Repeat the Misery of a Promoted Team After Xhaka Returns

SUNDERLAND, MONDAY — After the narratives of the last two seasons, promoted teams always seem to be doomed to failure before the English Premier League begins. Sunderland hopes to change that storyline by being active in the transfer window, one of which includes bringing in veteran midfielder Granit Xhaka.

According to The Athletic, Sunderland have agreed to sign the Bayer Leverkusen player for a total transfer fee of 20 million euros (Rp 380.2 billion) on Monday (July 28, 2025) WIB. Xhaka will soon return to the Premier League after leaving Arsenal in the summer of 2023.

The 32-year-old midfielder is actually still under contract with Leverkusen until June 2028. However, he wishes to seek a new challenge following the departure of coach Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid. Xhaka is set to join his teammates, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, in England.

Xhaka's main priority is to play again in England and move to Sunderland. He has declined to stay at Leverkusen and offers from Saudi Arabian clubs. His new contract will soon be finalized following a medical examination in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Xhaka's departure is not due to a lack of necessity. On the contrary, the new Leverkusen coach Erik ten Hag had even attempted to retain him. "We have already lost three important players; we cannot afford to lose another. Granit is a team leader. He is too important to let go," he stated.

For Sunderland, who last played in the top division in the 2016-17 season, the acquisition of Xhaka is crucial. The midfielder not only brings seven seasons of experience in the English Premier League but also has the capability to be a team leader.

As is known, the team coached by Regis Le Bris consists mostly of young players. The average age of their squad is only 24.2 years. Sunderland has spent 115.9 million euros, but has brought in more young players, including Simon Adingra (23) and Habib Diarra (21).

Learning from last season, three promoted teams have directly returned to the second division after their ascent. They are Ipswich Town, Leicester City, and Southampton, which recorded the worst average points record among promoted teams in the Premier League era, with 18.7 points.

The three teams failed to meet the performance standards of the English Premier League. They have all been confirmed to be relegated since the end of April. Their biggest mistake was purchasing more young players. They lacked experienced players who are still in their prime.

Xhaka offers something different for Sunderland. He is still in top form. Together with Leverkusen, the left-footed player contributed to winning the German League title and the German Cup without a single defeat in the 2023-24 season.

Last season, despite failing to win the title, Xhaka still performed well, scoring two goals and providing seven assists, helping Leverkusen finish runners-up. "Granit is incredible. He always gives us stability in the team, both with and without the ball. He's also very good at communicating," former Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah told German media outlet Blick.

His availability is one of his key attributes. Xhaka played 33 of 34 Bundesliga matches for two consecutive seasons. He only missed two of those two years. Furthermore, Xhaka can play as a holding midfielder or a more offensive box-to-box player.

The last time he played in the English League was during the 2022-23 season with Arsenal, where Xhaka even managed to achieve the best performance of his career. He scored 7 goals and provided 7 assists in the league, marking his largest contribution since moving to Arsenal in 2016.

History has proven that every team that is visited always becomes better. This includes the Swiss national team. The captain of Switzerland has been able to lead his country to regularly appear in the European Championship and the World Cup over the past decade. Switzerland also reached the quarter-finals in the last two editions.

Xhaka is often underestimated due to not being as fast and agile as most modern midfielders. However, he consistently brings life to the midfield with his high fighting spirit, leadership qualities, strong physique, excellent passing accuracy, and intelligence in reading the game.

Legendary coach, Jose Mourinho, is very interested in Xhaka. He once invited the player to join AS Roma in 2021, but was unsuccessful. The coach even joked that he would lend one of his eyes if others could not see Xhaka's greatness. (AP/AFP)