The transfer window has passed by chaotically, leaving Sunderland now with just a few days before their Premier League adventure officially gets underway.
There will be lots of excitement in the air as the Black Cats’ bumper 11 new signings take to the field for the first time this season against West Ham United.
However, there will be equal amounts of nerves also hanging over proceedings, as Regis Le Bris attempts to get a tune out of all those fresh faces immediately to ensure positive results are picked up from the first game to the last.
Thankfully, when contests are going to test the resolve of the top-flight newcomers, the Black Cats should be able to rely on Granit Xhaka, who is undoubtedly the most experienced Premier League body in the squad, at the moment.
Why Xhaka could be crucial this season
Amazingly, the 32-year-old battler has even taken on the club captaincy this pre-season, as he prepares to be the leader Sunderland needs on the pitch to ensure safety is comfortably reached.
He will be one figure who will make sure the standards are lifted, considering he has amassed 225 Premier League appearances to date as a performer unafraid to get stuck in and be fierce, which lends itself well to a tense battle against the drop.
On top of launching himself into tackles galore – with 368 attempted during that long stay in the top-flight with Arsenal – the Swiss international is also capable of a moment of magic from outside the area when firing home an audacious strike, with a reasonable 17 goals and 24 assists also next to his Premier League tally.
Landing Xhaka for just £17m really does show off what Sunderland’s ambitions are this season, therefore, as they try to make survival look a breeze.
However, there is an even bigger coup potentially in the works if Sunderland can pull off this other crazy buy, as they attempt to boldly land an even more seasoned top-flight performer…
Sunderland could land a bigger signing than Xhaka
£132m has now been spent on the end of the Black Cats this summer, with the latest splurge seeing Omar Alderete arrive from Getafe for a modest £10m fee.
He is another pick-up who holds significant experience of a top league in La Liga. Still, he will be forgotten about quite swiftly if Sunderland can pull off the ridiculous signature of Raheem Sterling – a player who cost Chelsea £50m just three years ago.
This standout move has been tentatively speculated by Mackem News, with Sterling in desperate need of repairing his damaged Premier League reputation after an instantly forgettable loan stint with Xhaka’s former side.
If he can get back to the heights of his Manchester City heyday, Sunderland will be laughing, as they go about winning themselves another top-flight-capable performer who could fire home the goals to drag the Black Cats up the rankings.
While his career has since fallen to the wayside after exiting Manchester, it goes without saying that Sterling is an immense talent in the Premier League when firing on all cylinders, as seen in his colossal haul of 123 strikes in the difficult division from 396 games.
These constant moments of class for Man City would push Pep Guardiola’s men on to win four top-flight titles, with the trusty Englishman causing all sorts of havoc down the right wing to pick up all this shiny silverware, leading to pundit Chris Sutton even heralding him as “world class” back in 2020.
Man City
339
131 + 86
Liverpool
129
23 + 18
Chelsea
81
19 + 15
Arsenal
28
1 + 5
Xhaka would never swim in the same levels of success in North London, unfortunately, with Sterling also more hungry to prove a point than his Swiss counterpart, arguably, considering his past couple of seasons of underwhelming performances at both Arsenal and Chelsea. As noted by ex-England boss Gareth Southgate, he is a “fighter”.
If he can reach his best once again, he will be a very effective weapon for Le Bris to possess, knowing what the Frenchman managed to get out of Enzo Le Fee last season, after his own career had hit a similar crossroads.
You would imagine Sunderland are close to wrapping up all of their hectic business soon.
But, if they can land Sterling just in time before September’s deadline, this would be a fantastic coup, particularly if his goals and assists make all the difference in the battle to beat relegation.
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ByKelan Sarson
