There will be many discussions about which of Sunderland’s summer signings will prove to be most significant.
Robin Roefs, Habib Diarra, and Noah Sadiki have all made instant impacts and, as youngsters,
are all likely to earn the club a big return on investment in time. Simon Adingra and Chemsdine Talbi may not yet have fully demonstrated what they are capable of but are showing great promise. Again, there is the distinct possibility that their value will rise exponentially.
The top-flight European experience of Reinildo, Omar Alderete, and Nordi Mukiele has already been amply demonstrated, and we have yet to see what Arthur Masuaku, Lutsharel Geertruida, Brian Brobbey, and Bertrand Traore will bring to the table.
So it is probably too early to start the discussion about which of the new signings will prove to be of greatest value across the season. But…
That has never stopped me venturing an opinion before, however premature – so I am going to dive straight in and open myself up to be shot at!
For me, the stand-out player has already emerged, and, barring injury, he will be the biggest single influence on how the team will perform this season. Granit Xhaka’s age means that there will be no financial return on his transfer value.
But I believe his influence will be the difference between the club thriving or failing to survive in the Premier League. The financial benefit to Sunderland of establishing ourselves back in the top flight for another season will far outstrip the increase in value of any of the younger players.
His arrival took me back to my earliest years as a Sunderland fan, when another battle-hardened veteran was persuaded to cross from the dark side into the righteous light of Roker Park by Bob Stokoe. Bobby Moncur had worn the black-and-white of Newcastle for over a decade before he arrived at Sunderland.
Like Xhaka, he was immediately handed the skipper’s armband, which didn’t sit comfortably with incumbent captain Bobby Kerr. But over the next two seasons, he would provide a firm, experienced presence – unflappable and hard as nails – around which the rest of the team could coalesce, and which would eventually lead to promotion back to the top flight.
Granit Xhaka has all those attributes, and more. He also has his own brush with adversity during his time with Arsenal. His clash with fans after being substituted against Crystal Palace in 2019 led to him being stripped of the captaincy, and he almost left the club. He has experience by the bucketload.
In just five matches, Xhaka has absolutely endeared himself to the Sunderland faithful, demonstrating all the qualities of leadership that we, as supporters, hope for. He is already leaning into the culture of Wearside, raising his arms and joining in the rendition of ‘Wise Men Say’ after the final whistle.
During the game, he is constantly cajoling and encouraging those around him, never more obviously than when we were left to play 60 minutes against Aston Villa with only ten men. The image of him enthusiastically congratulating his predecessor, Dan Neil, for winning a challenge in the dying minutes was telling.
But it is the circumstances under which he arrived at Sunderland which are probably the biggest indicator of the difference he will make. The fact is he chose the challenge of establishing Sunderland back in the Premier League over European football with Bayer Leverkusen. That was not the act of an ageing player looking for a last payday; it was the act of a player still capable of performing at the highest level looking to prove himself again in what is currently the most competitive league in the world.
So I am going to nail my colours to the mast here and now. When the final whistle blows against Chelsea at the Stadium of Light in May, and the history of the season is written, the name Granit Xhaka will be at the top of the list of players who will have influenced this developing squad and the results we all fervently hope they will achieve.
