Granit Xhaka is now officially a Sunderland player.
It had been the talk of the town on Wearside for some time, with the deal having a will he won’t he quality to it, but the Black Cats have managed to successfully pull off the statement move by securing the former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder’s services for £17m.
Well-versed in what it takes to be a success in the Premier League, too, this really does feel like a coup on the end of the Black Cats to land such a recognised top-flight performer.
They aren’t done here, however, when it comes to raiding the Bundesliga for some exciting talents, as another midfielder remains on their shopping list from Germany.
Sunderland in race to sign £26m sensation
The Premier League newcomers have been casting their net all across Europe this summer to date, with Habib Diarra joining Regis Le Bris’ camp from Strasbourg for a whopping £30m, on top of Noah Sadiki leaving Belgium behind for the challenge of the English game.
Up next, it looks as if Sunderland are going to win themselves a brand-new goalkeeper from the Netherlands, with reports suggesting that NEC Nijmegen stopper Robin Roefs will link up with Xhaka and Co. very soon for around the £11.5m mark.
Then, their attentions might well shift back to Leverkusen, with journalist Julien Laurens revealing via X that Le Bris’ side have now entered the race for Amine Adli’s signature, alongside fellow top-flight outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It would reportedly cost the Black Cats in the region of £26m to land Adli, who is also believed to be prioritising a move to England, over sticking it out at Erik ten Hag’s men.
Over time, Adli could even go on to establish himself as a bigger talent than Simon Adingra at the Stadium of Light, as Le Bris’ options down either flank grow more plentiful by the day.
How Adli could become a bigger talent than Adingra
Adingra is up and running in Sunderland red and white, having fired home a strike against Hull City last time out in a pre-season runout.
The expectation will be that he can instantly take the Premier League by storm after gaining these valuable minutes in pre-season, having already tallied up eight strikes in the relentless division from 60 outings for ex-employers Brighton and Hove Albion.
However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for the 23-year-old on the South Coast, with Adingra only averaging 40 minutes of Premier League action on average last season, as he tumbled down the pecking order under Fabian Hurzeler.
Whilst Adli has also suffered from minimal first-team opportunities at the BayArena – with only six Bundesliga starts coming his way last campaign – his numbers have never really stalled, as the English top-flight now opens up as a daring next step for the Moroccan forward.
24/25
28
2
2
23/24
42
10
12
22/23
38
7
6
21/22
34
4
4
Despite Xabi Alonso utilising him far less last season, Adli would still manage to reach the same number of goals and assists Adingra registered at Brighton in one fewer clash, on top of also boasting 47 goal contributions full stop for Leverkusen from 142 contests. Adingra, on the contrary, only collected 17 for the Seagulls, albeit from 68 fewer clashes.
Therefore, with that wealth of experience on his side, which has also seen him tally up four goals and four assists in the Europa League previously, the “electric” winger – as dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – could well get the starting nudge by Le Bris to line up down the left over the Ivorian.
Once also lauded for possessing an “outstanding” pass by ex-Leverkusen teammate Mousa Diaby, Adli could further be the spark that gets more out of the Sunderland bodies around him, as his new potential side attempts to make survival look comfortable, as opposed to an all-consuming chore.
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