Xherdan Shaqiri sends heartfelt message to Granit Xhaka as Sunderland switch confirmed
Xherdan Shaqiri has penned a heartfelt message to fellow Switzerland legend Granit Xhaka after Sunderland confirmed his arrival on Wearside.
Xhaka is best-known in English football for his seven-year spell at Arsenal between 2016 and 2023, and he and Shaqiri both made their mark on the Premier League, with the pint-sized winger enjoying fruitful spells at Stoke City and Liverpool.
The Swiss international midfielder made nearly 300 appearances for the Gunners and even held the captain’s armband in 2019 before moving on to join Bayer Leverkusen in 2023 for a fee of £21.4million [BBC].
He made an instant impact as a regular starter in their side as Xabi Alonso led his squad to an invincible title-winning Bundesliga season in Xhaka’s debut campaign, and also featured 49 times last term as Leverkusen finished second.
The 32-year-old was reported to be of interest to Sunderland by The Times (23 July), who claimed that Xhaka had agreed terms to join the Black Cats, while Fabrizio Romano (28 July) soon reported that an agreement had been reached between all parties for him to move to the Stadium of Light for a €20m (£17.3m) fee on a two-year deal.
Sunderland confirm Granit Xhaka signing
Sunderland moved to confirm their transfer coup of Xhaka on their official Instagram account on Wednesday (30 July), saying: “This isn’t just a Club, this is Sunderland.
“Welcome back to the Premier League, Granit Xhaka!” with a heart eyes emoji, alongside an announcement video of the 32-year-old insisting that he is “ready to write the next chapter” of his career at the Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats’ message was reacted to by former Premier League hero and Swiss international Shaqiri, who sent a heartfelt message to his close friend, saying: “Good luck bro” with fire, flexed bicep and OK-hand emojis.
Their post was also liked by Wilson Isidor and Reinildo, who are clearly enthusiastic about the prospect of playing with Xhaka, while Jude Bellingham and Man City’s Manuel Akanji also left likes to signify their excitement about the move.
Xhaka capture is a huge statement from Sunderland
Football Insider verdict
Sunderland’s challenge in 2024/25 is to simply avoid relegation at all costs and to stay within touching distance of safety for as long as possible, and they will have a much better chance of survival with a player like Xhaka in the team each week.
Regis Le Bris has already done some shrewd business in the summer window, with Habib Diarra signed for a club-record fee from Strasbourg and promising winger Simon Adingra brought to Wearside from Brighton.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 225 | 17 | 24 |
The Swiss international has clearly forced through a move to Wearside, after his agent recently admitted that Xhaka “wants to return to the Premier League,” while Leverkusen boss Erik ten Hag was trying to push back against his departure.
He said: “The agent of Xhaka can say whatever he wants, but this club has already let three important players go, and we won’t let any more go.”
That shows commitment and a will to help the team before he has even joined, and now that his move has been announced and confirmed, many Sunderland supporters and neutrals alike will be a lot more optimistic about their Premier League survival chances due to Xhaka’s quality, leadership skills and extensive experience at both club and international level.