Newly-promoted Sunderland completed the signing of former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen on a thre-year deal, the club announced on Wednesday.
Though the exact transfer fee was not announced, it was reportedly around 17.3 million pounds (USD 23 million).
Xhaka left the Gunners in 2023 and won the Bundesliga and German Cup with Leverkusen during his spell at Leverkusen.
“I’m very proud to be here. When I spoke to the Club, I was excited and I felt the energy, and the mentality that all the people and players have. It’s exactly what I wanted, and I have a very good feeling. We are back to where this Club needs to be, and we want to stay here to write our own history,” Xhaka said.
“I feel that I’m ready to help the team with my experience but with quality as well. We need to find ourselves on the pitch, but I don’t think this will be a big problem. It’s been a long time to wait, but I’m here now and I’m looking forward to it.”
Xhaka’s switch to Sunderland is the latest signing in a busy transfer window for the club, promoted to the Premier League through the Championship play-offs.
Sunderland opens its League campaign on August 16 against West Ham at the Stadium of Light. Its sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said that he was delighted with Xhaka’s arrival.
“His arrival is a significant endorsement of our ambition and our desire to build a team our supporters can be proud of in the Premier League,” he said.
“His accomplishments and quality need little introduction — he’s a player of the highest calibre on and off the field, who we feel is the perfect match to the profile required in our team.”
Xhaka was named Swiss Footballer of the Year in 2017, 2022, and 2023, and has been an integral member of the Switzerland national team since 2011, featuring at the 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cups.
