Granit Xhaka has sealed a shock return to the Premier League with Sunderland despite Erik ten Hag's plea for him to stay at Bayer Leverkusen.

• Xhaka joins Sunderland on three-year deal
• Ten Hag tried to block midfielder's exit
• Black Cats back in the Premier League for 2025-26

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Sunderland have announced the arrival of former Arsenal midfielder Xhaka in a transfer worth £17 million. Xhaka has signed a three-year contract with the Black Cats after two years with Leverkusen, where he won the Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal. The midfielder boasts extensive Premier League experience already, having made 225 appearances for Arsenal.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Swiss star returns to the Premier League from Leverkusen in a move that will disappoint Ten Hag. The Leverkusen coach had made it clear he did not want Xhaka to leave as any departure would "undermine the structure and culture of the squad". Xhaka joins Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Tah in leaving the Bundesliga side this summer.

• WHAT XHAKA SAID

  Xhaka told Sunderland's official website: “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. 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. I feel that I’m ready to help the team with my experience but with quality as well. We need to find ourselves on the pitch, but I don’t think this will be a big problem. It’s been a long time to wait, but I’m here now and I’m looking forward to it.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Xhaka will wear the No. 34 shirt at Sunderland following his move from Leverkusen.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News