Sunderland agree terms with £17m “monster”

Sunderland are yet to pick up a win during their pre-season outing to the Algarve, but there have been promising signs aplenty anyway.

Indeed, the Black Cats have faced some formidable opponents out in Portugal in the form of Sevilla and Sporting, meaning a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 loss aren’t disastrous outcomes, when you also consider a large chunk of the first team personnel selected by Regis Le Bris are still getting used to one another as brand new recruits.

In particular, Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki caught the eye of Sunderland spectators watching on, with the skilful midfield duo set to be joined by another impressive body in the middle if emerging reports are correct.

Sunderland agree terms with £17m battler

Of course, Sunderland fans will take any progressing deal with a pinch of salt until it’s officially over the line, having been burnt recently by Armand Lauriente’s deal falling through at the last minute.

Lauriente was even pictured jetting off to the Stadium of Light to complete a move, but the wheels unfortunately came off the deal in the end.

Hopefully, any last-minute mishaps are out of the Wearside outfit’s system, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein dramatically revealing via X that Sunderland have now agreed personal terms with long-term target Granit Xhaka.

The exclusive development by Ornstein reveals that Xhaka is only considering the newly promoted side as his next onward destination, with the hope on his end that the deal can be tied up rapidly for him to return to the Premier League.

In a window where Sunderland have already made a few statement deals a reality, this could well be the pick of the bunch, with the deal for the Swiss international – who is said to be valued at €20m (£17m) – a far more exciting signing to seal than Lauriente’s ever was.

Why signing Xhaka would be more exciting than Lauriente

Lauriente no doubt would have made his presence known donning Sunderland red and white, off the back of an explosive campaign in Serie B.

After all, the silky Frenchman wasn’t labelled “amazing” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig just by fluke, with a stunning haul of 18 strikes last season for Sassuolo clinching a glorious promotion up to the Italian top-flight.

Xhaka also has a sumptuous rocket up his sleeve, yet the seasoned 32-year-old would pick up his impressive tally of two strikes and seven assists in the far choppier and intense terrain of the Bundesliga last campaign, with the Bayer Leverkusen number 34 elevating his game to the next level in Germany.

From 174 games in the top division – with 66 of those coming about for Leverkusen – the midfield enforcer would collect 11 goals and ten assists, 12 of which were registered at the BayArena, as his side were even crowned champions of the usually Bayern Munich-dominated Bundesliga during his two-campaign stint.

Xhaka’s Premier League career numbers
Stat	Xhaka
Games played	225
Goals	17
Assists	25
Completed passes	14,865 (88%)
Tackles	368
Duels won	1001
Stats by the Premier League

On the contrary, Lauriente only has 133 games next to his name in total when plying his trade in Serie A and Ligue 1, with Xhaka’s expertise of the taxing Premier League also making him a far more worthwhile signing to pursue, away from festering in any lingering disappointment of the Frenchman’s deal collapsing.

Whilst he did experience many bumps along the way at Arsenal, Xhaka – in retrospect – is now viewed as a cog that allowed the Gunners to tick during testing times, as seen in his impressive 17 goals and 25 assists from a mammoth 225 top-flight appearances.

On top of that, he also battled away valiantly for the Gunners’ cause time after time, with 1001 duels being won in total, gaining him the label of a “monster” by Arsenal-based writer Connor Humm.

With the necessary grit required for a relegation battle, on top of possessing the quality to try and push Sunderland away from that mire, this really would be a standout addition to make for a £17m star also lauded as a “technician” by Chelsea great Joe Cole.

Lauriente might well have developed into a dazzling attacker under Le Bris’ wing, but if it’s readymade Premier League performers the ex-Lorient manager is after, he should ensure this move is sealed.