GRANIT XHAKA: WHO ARE YOU?

It has recently emerged that Sunderland are keen on signing Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen. The potential three-year deal is reportedly worth £8.7 million. Here is a recap on his career so far:

Born in Basel, Switzerland, in September 1992, Xhaka’s football journey began very early, when he was only five. Alongside his older brother Taulant he played for Concordia Basel, before joining the youth academy of FC Basel at the end of 2002. In 2006, he was a member of FC Basel’s under 15 team who won the Swiss Championship. After many years of climbing through the ranks, Xhaka joined Basel’s first team where he made his debut in the Champions League qualifiers. Throughout his time in the senior side, Xhaka won the league twice in a row and also the Swiss Cup in 2011/12.

He then went on to sign a five-year deal with Borussia Mönchengladbach for an estimated £8.5 million where he quickly became a mainstay in the club’s starting 11. Amassing 108 Bundesliga appearances, scoring six goals and competing in various other competitions, he was named club captain in 2015.

A year later, the midfielder would depart the club – heading to Arsenal for a reported £35m. In his first season at the club, he played 46 games and helped the Gunners win the 2017 FA Cup. He also later played a major role in Arsenal’s runner-up position in the 2019 Europa League where they lost to Chelsea. The Swiss international was frequently criticised for his undisciplined style of play and would pick up yellow cards on a Lee Cattermole-esque regularity.

He was made captain of the team shortly after; however, this was short lived due to an incident in October 2019 in a match against Crystal Palace, where Xhaka came under fire from fans and was subbed off in the 61st minute. This heated berating and booing from the fans led to him taking his shirt off, making sarcastic gestures to the crowd and repeatedly swearing at Arsenal fans. Of course, he was stripped of the Gunners’ captaincy following this public outburst. In a later interview, he admitted that he had packed his bags and had his passport ready in the event that Unai Emery sold him at that time.

Shortly after this however, he began to redeem himself under Mikel Arteta, where he became a reliable leader and much more composed on the ball, often playing more defensively. He played a big part in Arsenal’s FA Cup win over Chelsea in 2020. He saw his best season at Arsenal in 2022, where he scored seven goals and got seven assists, leading the club to a second-place finish in the Premier League. In his final match as a Gunner, he scored two goals against Wolves in a 3-1 victory.

He later transferred to Bayer Leverkusen for around £21 million in June 2023. His departure from the club was controversial among fans, although most respected the turnaround he’d managed, showing commendable commitment and leadership. His unapologetic nature sounds like it would go down well at a club like Sunderland: “If I elbow a player, I’ll be the first one to say I’m sorry but a tackle… come on guys, this is not ballet.”

He quickly became an integral part of Leverkusen’s midfield, adding structure and leadership to Xabi Alonso’s impressive team. He played a big part in the club’s double win for the Bundesliga Title and the DFB-Pokal, managing to usurp the dominance of Bayern Munich in Germany. He played almost 50 matches in the 2023 season across competitions, starting in every important game. He played 45 games in the 2024-2025 season, starting in all Bundesliga matches.

This signing would add some valuable experience and leadership to our dressing room ahead of our first Premier League season in eight years. It’s certainly one to keep an eye on!