The Stadium of Light is likely to be a sight to behold on the Premier League opening day as Sunderland fans pack out their beloved home ground to the rafters.
West Ham United are the first opposition this season that gets to sample the high-energy Wearside crowd, as Graham Potter’s Hammers go about souring the feel-good factor in the air by clinching an away day win, at the expense of Regis Le Bris’ men.
Granit Xhaka could even be handed the responsibility of being Sunderland’s captain for such a hotly anticipated occasion, having worn the armband with pride during his side’s last pre-season test versus Real Betis.
He is the logical choice, having garnered a reputation for being a no-nonsense battler when on the books of Arsenal, but the Black Cats will be well aware they need even more grit and experience in their ranks to ensure survival is comfortably reached, away from just relying on their new £17m purchase.
Why Xhaka's signing is a coup for Sunderland
The 32-year-old returning to the Premier League to link up with the newly promoted Black Cats would have come as a shock.
After all, Xhaka had moved away to Bayer Leverkusen and managed to breathe new life into his playing days, as the trophy-shy midfielder held the Bundesliga title aloft during his debut season out in Germany.
During his celebrated stay in Germany, too, Xhaka would add to his growing collection of wonderstrikes, with six goals and nine assists coming his way from 99 games in the middle of the park.
Yet, it will be the Basel-born enforcer’s previous tough performances for the Gunners that will have caught his new side’s eye even more as they venture back up to the intimidating Premier League, with Arsenal-based writer Connor Humm even dubbing him a “monster” for his physical prowess in North London.
Indeed, across 225 games in the top division with the Gunners, Xhaka would win a steep 1001 duels in total, on top of also launching himself into 368 tackles.
With Habib Diarra’s £30m arrival into the building potentially boosting Sunderland’s attacking output centrally – as seen in his tally of nine big chances being created in Ligue 1 last season – Xhaka has certainly been purchased to toughen up a Black Cats side who were often viewed as youthful to a fault under Le Bris’ wing in the Championship.
Still, the Sunderland masses will be hoping that an elusive centre-back presence finally enters through the door before September’s approaching deadline…
Sunderland's ongoing transfer hunt
Staggeringly, despite signing off on eight high-profile signings this summer so far, only Xhaka – and Simon Adingra – will be entering into the action against the Irons with Premier League experience on his side.
Of course, the likes of Enzo Le Fee have been there and done that in equally tough divisions such as Ligue 1, alongside brand-new goalkeeper addition Robin Roefs helping himself to ten clean sheets in the Eredivisie last season. But, the Premier League is a different kettle of fish altogether, especially when a relegation dog-fight is potentially on the cards.
To further add to the worry, Sunderland are yet to recruit a Premier League-capable centre-back so far this summer – even as tenous links have previously tipped them to sign the likes of Liverpool colossus Joe Gomez – despite splashing in the region of £140m elsewhere on fresh recruits.
This will be very concerning, therefore, as talk has also dried up regarding the Wearside outfit securing the signature of Bologna titan Jhon Lucumi, who would undoubtedly boost Le Bris’ options in the heart of defence, too, having just collected ten clean sheets himself last campaign in Serie A.
For the time being, Sunderland will have to hope Xhaka can be an effective anchor that helps to keep the ball out of their net, alongside offering the top-flight newcomers a whole lot more.
Sunderland's search for a centre-back
While Xhaka has been an obvious success in the Premier League, he will also hold some scars still, knowing his Arsenal stay was full of bumps.
Indeed, his aggressiveness often got the better of him, as seen in his collection of four red cards in the bruising division. Le Bris and Co. cannot afford to constantly be worried about the Swiss international’s hot-headedness turning ugly.
This is where centre-back target Loic Bade could come to the rescue in offering Le Bris’ men an assured coolness under pressure at the back, while also being a towering figure unafraid to duel when needed.
French outlet Foot Mercato has recently revealed that Bade is the priority target now for the Black Cats as they continue to hunt down defensive reinforcements, with £26m the desired amount they need to hit to seal a deal for the 6-foot-3 colossus.
Games played
19
28
32
Goals scored
1
0
1
Assists
0
1
1
Touches*
55.1
60.5
68.3
Accurate passes*
38.6 (87%)
39.6 (83%)
48.6 (86%)
Tackles*
1.4
2.3
1.5
Clearances*
3.9
4.0
5.0
Total duels won*
3.7
5.8
4.3
Clean sheets
7
5
8
This feels like a fair amount to pay when you consider his consistent battling performances for Sevilla, with this season just gone seeing Bade register five clearances per league match, as his never-say-die attitude just about kept Matías Almeyda’s men afloat in 17th spot, one point above the relegation spaces in La Liga.
He could well fancy his chances at another relegation scrap, therefore, in England, with his wealth of experience in this field no doubt coming in handy, when you further consider Le Bris’ usual centre-back pairing in Daniel Ballard and Luke O’Nien have zero top-flight games next to their names across their EFL-heavy careers to date.
On the flip side, the “elite” Frenchman – as he was once dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – has 125 appearances in La Liga and Ligue 1 under his belt, which has also led to him being labelled as a “warrior” by football analyst Ben Mattinson.
If Xhaka hadn’t arrived, Le Bris would at least be content that he has the aforementioned Le Fee and Diarra at his disposal.
Whereas, missing out on Bade feels as if it will be an opportunity Sunderland will rue in the long run, as the Black Cats prepare to defend for their lives to ensure an immediate return to the EFL doesn’t occur.
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