Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka has insisted he’s not looking to move on this summer after an impressive first season at the Stadium of Light.
Blick have an interview with the 33-year-old today. And he makes it clear that he’s not only happy at Sunderland but feels like he’s at home at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland happiness
The Swiss midfielder joined Sunderland in a surprise deal from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, in a move that raised eyebrows at the time.
But he quickly established himself as a key player in Regis Le Bris’ team, playing a vital role as, they secured European football for next season. He has since been named Premier League signing of the season.
Few would have predicted his season, or Sunderland’s, to go so well. But he insists that he knew he was onto to something good from the get-go.
“To be honest, I’m not surprised,” he said.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always made all my decisions based on my gut feeling. The move from Leverkusen to Sunderland wasn’t a snap decision. I had a lot of discussions with the owner, sporting director, and manager before I signed.”
“Sure, you could say that winning the league title with Leverkusen was a bit of a surprise. The same goes for this season, finishing seventh in the Premier League as a newly promoted team. But I see it a little differently because I see all the hard work that goes into these successes. If you work hard day in and day out, you can achieve a lot.”
Sunderland love
Such is his standing at Sunderland already; they’re often heard signing Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love” at their captain. And he admits he feels a similar way.
“Yes, it’s a bit like home for me,” he added.
“The city feels like Basel. Like the St. Johann district where I grew up. You can only perform at your best when you feel comfortable in a place.”
And that means one important thing for Sunderland, Granit Xhaka isn’t looking to leave anytime soon. Despite the speculation, he’s happy for a summer of zero transfer talk while he’s at the World Cup.
“For me, the most important thing is that my family is happy. And we are in Sunderland. I’m not even thinking about a transfer,” he concluded.
“I’m really happy to finally have a summer without any speculation about my future. That’s rarely been the case in recent years. This allows me to fully focus on the World Cup.”
