- Xhaka clears the air around Ten Hag
- Annoyed that coach is being portrayed wrongfully
- Says Sunderland move will shape him for future
Xhaka’s transfer saga this summer was full of twists that kept fans guessing until the very end. After Bayer Leverkusen hired Ten Hag as the head coach, he tried to persuade Xhaka to stay and the midfielder initially wanted to stay until Sunderland knocked on the door. The Swiss international claims he had “clear and correct” talks with the Bayer manager and doesn’t understand why people are blaming him for his move.
Opening up further about what led to him signing for the Black Cats, the 32-year-old conveyed that the story of the football club and it’s struggles and suffering felt relatable to him. Furthermore, although not being on the same page initially, he agreed to join Sunderland as he felt it fostered the right conditions for him to become a coach in the future. However, when the Sunderland owner called Xhaka, his first thought was that somebody is playing a ‘trick’ on him.
Talking about what unfolded this summer with Bild Xhaka candidly spoke on the events and rebuffed any ill-claims on Ten Hag, as he said: “It annoys me that Erik is being portrayed as the problem. He was never the problem, never! He only called me after three or four weeks because he didn’t want to disturb me during the holidays. I had a very good conversation with him. He knew I was looking at an exciting offer. And maybe he sensed he would lose me. But our conversation was always clear and correct. I would have played as captain under him.”
Xhaka thought the call from Sunderland owner Kyril-Louis Dreyfus was a joke and eventually was swayed away by their eagerness to sign him. He added: “Everything happened very quickly. The first contact was made one day before departure for the Bayer camp in Rio de Janeiro. At 11 p.m., a Swiss number lit up on my cell phone. I was on my way to bed, the children were already asleep: ‘Hello, this is Kyril. I’m the owner of Sunderland.’ I played along because I thought someone was playing a trick on me. My agent, José Noguera, was in America at the time, with a corresponding time difference. I gave Kyril my agent’s number. The conversation was clear, but brief. Ten minutes later, Jose called via FaceTime, along with the sporting director and Kyril. That’s when I realised: This is serious.”
Xhaka further added: “I was honest with Kyril and told him that I couldn’t really imagine an immediate return to the Premier League. But after the phone call, I felt: You have to do this, Granit! The club is coming from a situation that reminded me of my parents’ beginnings – from scratch. And I feel that this experience here will be of the greatest benefit to me for my future. Why? I want to pursue a career as a coach at some point. That’s why it’s important to experience moments of suffering and solidarity. We will have to suffer a lot in the coming months. That’s another side of football, but it’s also part of it and will shape me. Furthermore, did everything, absolutely everything, to bring me back to England. When a club gives you such feelings, it would almost be rude not to consider them. I was so touched by those in charge. I couldn’t say no.”
Sunderland, led by club captain Xhaka, kicked off their Premier League with a win over West Ham United last weekend and are set to face to Burnley next on August 23, before facing Championship-side Huddersfield in the first round of Carabao Cup.
