With Granit Xhaka now officially a Sunderland player, the Black Cats have already reportedly reached an agreement to sign another reinforcement in a deal worth £12m.
Xhaka "very proud" to join Black Cats
In their biggest deal of the summer so far, Xhaka is set to provide Sunderland with an invincible Bundesliga winner and former Arsenal man at the heart of Regis Le Bris’ midfield.
This isn’t the same Swiss midfielder that left Arsenal following a tumultuous relationship with fans and several moments to both savour and forget. Instead, this is a far more confident, complete version of Xhaka ready to end unfinished business in the Premier League.
“I’m very proud to be here. When I spoke to the Club, I was excited and I felt the energy, and the mentality that all the people and players have,” the Swiss legend said on Wednesday.
“It’s exactly what I wanted, and I have a very good feeling. We are back to where this club needs to be, and we want to stay here to write our own history.”
Liverpool’s hefty spending aside, it is Sunderland who have arguably enjoyed the best transfer window of the summer in the Premier League when taking into account prior expectations. Xhaka follows the likes of Simon Adingra, Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki through the door to take the Black Cats’ number of incomings to seven in total.
Le Bris will be well aware of the talent that he’s welcoming in Xhaka. The former Arsenal man earned plenty of praise when working with Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen as they achieved history together and that praise is only likely to be reiterated by the Sunderland boss.
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Alonso told reporters: “He has had a huge impact on the team since day one. He is an extremely important player for us. If you have good midfielders, you play better.”
It’s the type of signing which could see Sunderland finally end the recent trend of promoted sides falling at the first hurdle back in the Premier League. But even after Xhaka, the Black Cats still reportedly have unfinished business in the transfer market as Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman go into overdrive.
Sunderland now set to sign Robin Roefs
As reported by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Sunderland have now reached an agreement to sign Robin Roefs from NEC Nijmegen in a deal worth €13.5m (£12m) with add-ons.
The 6’3 goalkeeper will hand Le Bris the reliable pair of hands he has been craving at the Stadium of Light, with a medical already scheduled to take place ahead of Roef’s official arrival.
Starts
32
42
Saves Per 90
3.53
2.14
Save Percentage
72.8%
70.3%
Clean Sheets
10
14
Although Anthony Patterson may feel hard done by to lose his starting place in Wearside, Roefs enjoyed an even more impressive campaign last time out in the Eredivisie and outperformed Sunderland’s shot-stopper in the process.
At just 22 years old, there’s every chance that the Dutchman only gets better with time despite already performing at an impressive standard. Alongside Xhaka, Roefs represents the type of signing needed to survive in the Premier League and so much more.
The Black Cats have made statement signing after statement signing this summer, but may have just agreed deals for their two most impressive arrivals so far in Xhaka and Roefs.
