‘No better choice’ – Sunderland fans stunned by major Granit Xhaka decision
Sunderland are back in the Premier League and manager Regis Le Bris has named a new club captain ahead of their first match back in the top-flight.
The Black Cats won the play-off final to win promotion to the Premier League for the first time in eight years.
Returning to the Premier League has meant a summer of change at the club on the pitch, with Le Bris busy in the transfer market.
Sunderland have signed Habib Diarra, alongside 11 new additions ahead of their first league match of the season against West Ham at the Stadium of Light.
Sumer signing given captain role
Granit Xhaka joined Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen, and the former Arsenal midfielder has already been given the captaincy by Le Bris.
The 32-year-old replaces Luke O’Nien and Dan Neil who shared the captaincy between them last season, players who have remained at the club this summer.
Xhaka was previously captain at Arsenal under Unai Emery, but was stripped of the role when he reacted angrily to the Gunners support after being substituted against Crystal Palace.
Many Sunderland supporters though believe the captaincy decision made by Le Bris is the right one with one claiming there was “no better choice.”
Xhaka and Sunderland must start positive
The news of Xhaka’s captaincy comes just two days before Sunderland kick-off their campaign against West Ham, a match the Black Cats will be confident of taking something from.
Xhaka has vast Premier League experience and became a vital member of the Arsenal team under Mikel Arteta after a difficult start to life in North London before going on to win the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen.
| Apperances | 225 |
| Goals | 17 |
| Assists | 24 |
The midfielder though cannot afford to start on the wrong foot this time with Sunderland in need of a positive start and points on the board before the difficulty of their fixture list increases.
Xhaka will need to show his leadership skills on the pitch to organise a new group of players who haven’t had long to gel together.
Part of Sunderland’s success will come from how their new look midfield functions, with Xhaka having to form a partnership with former Strasbourg captain Diarra, who could also have been in the running for the captaincy.