Xhaka to captain Sunderland after ‘very impressive’ Le Bris comments
Regis Le Bris has confirmed that new signing Granit Xhaka will likely wear the captain’s armband for Sunderland this season.
The midfielder joined the Black Cats last week, after an agreement worth an initial £13million was found with Bayer Leverkusen.
Xhaka has signed a three-year deal at the Stadium of Light and is arguably the most eye-catching arrival of a busy summer in the North East.
Habib Diarra and Simon Adingra are also among those to join Sunderland in a spending spree that has already topped £120m, and is showing no signs of stopping.
Xhaka has been ‘very impressive‘
Sunderland fought off interest from the Saudi Pro League to sign Xhaka, in what can only be described as a huge coup for the Premier League newboys.
The Swiss general is hugely experienced across Europe, but has spent the majority of his professional career so far in the Premier League.
Signing for Arsenal in 2016, Xhaka would go on to make 225 appearances in England’s top flight, with fans of the Gunners ultimately sad to see him move on.
Leverkusen would part ways with £22m to sign the midfielder, and his impact in the Bundesliga was immediate, missing just one game as Die Werkself made history by going unbeaten on their way to the title.
| Granit Xhaka | Premier League |
| Appearances | 225 |
| Goals | 17 |
| Assists | 24 |
And last season, Xhaka was just as prominent for Xabi Alonso’s side, making 33 Bundesliga appearances and registering seven assists.
The arrival of Erik ten Hag looks to have come with a shift in direction at Leverkusen, however, leading to several players’ departures.
In just one week with Le Bris’ squad, Xhaka has already impressed both his new teammates and his new head coach.
The Frenchman told the Sunderland Echo (6 August): “His behaviour so far has been very impressive. We need maturity, level, consistency, experience – he brings everything.
“You can feel that for the others around him, it makes their life easier. For the Premier League, it really helps to have two, three lads like that. He will probably be captain, yes.”
Xhaka is a superb choice for the Sunderland captaincy
Last summer, Luke O’Nien was named club captain, while academy product Dan Neil was handed the title of team captain.
But with Neil’s contract set to expire next summer and O’Nien still recovering from a shoulder injury, Xhaka is likely to lead Sunderland for the start of their Premier League return.
Le Bris could not have a more natural replacement, with the midfielder having captained throughout his career.
Most notably, Xhaka has captained the Switzerland national team since 2018, with the 32-year-old sporting the armband on more than 70 occasions for his country.
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