Newly-promoted Sunderland have named Granit Xhaka as their club captain. The announcement, confirmed by head coach Régis Le Bris, comes on the heels of the Swiss international’s high-profile signing from Bayer Leverkusen earlier this summer.
Xhaka, 32, joined Sunderland on July 30, 2025, in a deal reported to be around £13 million, potentially rising to £17.3 million with add-ons.
He signed a three-year contract and immediately expressed his pride at joining the Wearside club. “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,” he said upon arrival. “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.”
Just over a week later, in Sunderland’s pre-season friendly against Real Betis, Xhaka donned the captain’s armband from kick-off—an unmistakable signal of his new leadership status.
The match ended in a narrow defeat, but coach Le Bris was quick to underscore the midfielder’s significance. “We need maturity, quality, consistency and experience, Granit has it all,” Le Bris affirmed. “Xhaka makes it easier for the players around him,” he added, before stating plainly: “He will probably be captain, yes.”
Further official confirmation followed on August 14, when Sunderland formally designated Xhaka as club captain ahead of their first season back in England’s top flight since 2017.
Xhaka’s appointment is not merely symbolic. He brings a wealth of leadership experience, having captained the Switzerland national team since 2018 with more than 130 caps to his name.
For many years he was also a key figure—and captain at times—during his seven-year stint at Arsenal, where he lifted two FA Cups. At Bayer Leverkusen he was instrumental in the club’s historic 2023–24 Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double.
Sunderland’s sporting director Kristjaan Speakman valorized the signing as a testament to the club’s ambitions. “His accomplishments and quality need little introduction – he’s a player of the highest calibre on and off the field,” Speakman said, insisting the move is “a significant endorsement of our ambition and our desire to build a team our supporters can be proud of in the Premier League.”
Xhaka himself has described this chapter as the most significant challenge of his career. He told NDTV Sports ahead of the new season, “I felt I needed a new and big challenge. … It was exactly what I wanted, and that’s why I decided to join.” He emphasized the importance of combining youthful energy with seasoned leadership: “A team needs a good balance—a solid mix of young players and experienced ones… the hunger to achieve great things is still very much here.”
Sunderland’s summer recruitment drive has been nothing short of ambitious. Xhaka joins a squad strengthened by numerous acquisitions, including Enzo Le Fée, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandava, Chemsdine Talbi, Simon Adingra among others—bringing total summer spending to well over £100 million.