Sunderland Captain Granit Xhaka has insisted he is not thinking about a move this summer after an impressive first season at the Stadium of Light.
Blick held an interview with the 33-year-old today. And he makes it clear that he is not only happy at Sunderland but feels like he is at home at the Stadium of Light.
sunderland joy
The Swiss midfielder joined Sunderland in a surprise deal from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, a move which raised eyebrows at the time.
But he soon established himself as a key player in Regis Le Bris's team, and playing a key role, he secured European football for the following season. He has since been named the Premier League signing of the season.
Very few would have predicted that his or Sunderland's season would go so well. But he insists he knew from the beginning he was onto something good.
"To be honest, I'm not surprised," he said.
"Throughout my career, I have always taken all my decisions based on my gut feeling. Moving from Leverkusen to Sunderland was not a sudden decision. I had a lot of discussions with the owner, sporting director and manager before signing."
"Of course, you could say that winning the league title with Leverkusen was a bit of a surprise. The same applies for this season, finishing seventh in the Premier League as a newly promoted team. But I look at it a little differently because I see all the hard work that goes into these successes. If you work hard day and night, you can achieve a lot."
sunderland love
Such is his situation already at Sunderland; He is often heard signing his captain to Elvis's "Can't Help Falling in Love". And he admits that he feels the same way.
He said, "Yeah, it's a bit like home to me."
"The city feels like Basel. Like the St. Johann district where I grew up. You can perform at your best only when you feel comfortable in a place."
And that means one important thing for Sunderland, Granit Xhaka is not thinking of leaving anytime soon. Despite speculation, he is happy with zero heat transfer negotiations While he is in the World Cup.
"For me, the most important thing is that my family is happy. And we are at Sunderland. I'm not even thinking about a transfer," he concluded.
"I'm really happy to finally spend the summer without any speculation about my future. This has rarely happened in recent years. It allows me to concentrate completely on the World Cup."
