Source: Reuters

Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka was called the signing of the season – and then came his biggest contribution so far.

When the Black Cats signed the now 33-year-old from Bayer Leverkusen for £13m in the summer, they could not have believed how well it would go.

The Switzerland midfielder’s effort from outside the box earned Sunderland a 1-1 home draw with Everton that took them back into the top four in the Premier League.

That is a Champions League spot, a quarter of the way through the season, for the promoted side.

“He must be the signing of the season,” said ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports before the game.

“Is there anyone in the Premier League having such an impact anywhere? Arguably not.”

After the game, in which Xhaka was named man of the match, Carragher added: “He was excellent again, head and shoulders above almost anyone else on that pitch.”

Just how big has Xhaka’s impact been?

Xhaka leads his Sunderland team-mates in nearly every metric going.

But it is highly impressive how highly he ranks across the whole league in a whole range of statistics.

He has made three assists – with only three players having more (all with four). He is joint-11th for chances created, and only two players have set up more opportunities from set-plays than his nine.

Among outfield players, only Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi (56) has completed more long passes than Xhaka’s 52.

But the Swiss has only attempted 87 long passes to Senesi’s 138.

He ranks in the top 20 for passes (552), balls into the box (56) and possesion won (49).

And now he has a goal, his first in the Premier League since his final match with Arsenal, when he scored twice against Wolves on the final day in 2022-23.

Manager Regis Le Bris, said: “He’s really important because we have many young players and many new players in this league.

“They don’t know the condition and one player like Granit, with his previous experiences, is really important for us. He has this quality to score.

“I’m happy to have this kind of player. He wants to play football, he wants to be competitive, he’s always connected with the game and he sets the standards.”

Former Sunderland defender Jonny Evans, speaking on Sky Sports, added: “He is the only one on the squad with real experience.

“They can rely on him for anything. Also his performance level is excellent.”

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Better than the ‘Arsenal villain’?

This is Xhaka’s second spell in England, having played 297 times for Arsenal from 2016 until 2023.

He then joined Bayer Leverkusen where he won the title under Xabi Alonso in their unbeaten domestic season in 2023-24.

Erik ten Hag, then the Leverkusen boss, insisted Xhaka would not be sold this summer.

But the midfielder left for Sunderland, and Ten Hag was sacked a few weeks into the season.

“I didn’t expect to come back after Germany but you never know where you land,” said Xhaka.

“To be back made me happy. I knew the project to bring experience and show the guys day by day.

“It makes me happy to score a goal.”

Xhaka was a bit of a pantomine villain – and sometimes much maligned – at Arsenal.

He was sent off five times for the Gunners and spent six weeks as captain in 2019, clashed with his own fans and was stripped of the armband.

But things went better under Mikel Arteta and he became an important player before leaving in 2023 for Germany.

Carragher said: “After what he went through at Arsenal, he showed great character to come back from that. The impact he has had, if he can be part of a Sunderland team who finishes in the top 10 – or even just stays up – he will be remembered for a very long time.”

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini told BBC Radio Newcastle: “He exemplifies a top professional.

“When he was an Arsenal player at times you felt like he was a bit of a villain. Over the years we have seen him mature and develop.

“We’ve seen a slightly more restrained version of Xhaka, but it’s actually better than the fully committed, blowing steam out of his ears sort of player that we saw at Arsenal.

“He’s a little bit more measured, calmer and a better professional. To have that in your squad especially when you’ve got a young squad, and everyone believes in him, he’s a talisman.

“We need to wrap him in cotton wool and keep him going for 38 games.”

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