Why does the leader of the German runner-up change to an English Premier League promoter? If you want to understand Granit Xhaka’s decision, you have to look far outside the financial box.
Imagine that Virgil van Dijk would not have extended his contract with Liverpool FC a few months ago, but would now have switched to 1. FC Köln or Hamburger SV. Unimaginable? That’s right – why should the leader of an exceptional English club go to a German promoted team? However, this scenario has now arrived. But it is a transfer that also makes sense because of the financial strength in the Premier League.
AFC Sunderland is back after the crash
Granit Xhaka, the boss on the square at the only championship title in the previous history of Bayer Leverkusen, goes to the AFC Sunderland for a rumored 20 million euros, which has just made the return to English first class after eight years. This decision is due to money, in view of the up to 250 million euros in additional income, which a promoted climber on the island can look forward to, is not wrong – but it would be much too short.
Sunderland is one of the biggest traditional clubs in football, founded in 1879, six times English champions – the last time will be 90 years ago after the coming season. The Netflix documentary “Sunderland – ‘Til I The” accompanied the crash of the “Black Cats” to the third class and focused on the club. Since 2021, the AFC has not played on the television, but on the field back into the spotlight.
Sunderland is on an extravagant shopping tour
This success has a lot to do with young protagonists, for whom Xhaka is now becoming the anchor. Just looking at the previous newcomers speaks volumes. With Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi, Simon Adingra, Habib Diarra and Enzo Le Fee, the club had already signed five actors at the age of 25 years for over 115 million euros before the deal with the Swiss. Only six players in the entire squad are older than 25 – Xhaka, 32, is now number seven.
In Leverkusen, the midfeld organizer was the extended arm of ex-coach Xabi Alonso, who rotated a lot at Bayer due to the multiple burden-but never Xhaka. For him it is also a reunion with the Premier League, from 2016 to 2023 he had been playing for FC Arsenal for seven years. After years of abstinence, Sunderland has to get used to the first class again, but now has someone in their own ranks who can all take it by hand.
Kyril Louis -Dreyfus – success with youthful esprit
This even includes the main person responsible for success – and that is the symbol of the youngsters strength of the association. Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is only 27 years old, four years ago he bought 41 percent of the Sunderland shares for the first time and increased to 64 percent in the following two years, which means that he is the sole decision-maker. Like Xhaka, he is Swiss, a billionaire son of Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who died in 2009 and once made the headlines in Germany in the course of a private loan for the 2006 World Cup.
Louis-Dreyfus was also the Adidas boss and owner of Olympique Marseille during his lifetime. From 1996 to 2009 the businessman headed the fortunes at the club from southern France and his son Cyril apparently looked at a lot from him. After the father’s death, the family hadn’t really wanted to get involved in football – but then Sunderland Cyril packed Louis -Dreyfus.
Despite everything, the AFC is great pride
“Sunderland is a special project, because there is still a lot of potential here. Nobody is interested in football in cities like Zurich or Monaco, which is limited to the development opportunities. Sunderland had a higher average in the third division than half of the Champions League teams. You can’t buy something like that”said the then 22-year-old after acquiring his first shares.
His vision: “We want to create a team with which it is fun to watch.” Because the AFC was still great love in the 174,000-inhabitant city, but it was a painful love. This changed under Louis-Dreyfus, which, in addition to the management level, also modernized the scouting. In his new obligations, he also relied on young and development -capable players who can later be sold for significantly more money. And for that, Louis-Dreyfus got the right trainer.
Regis Le Bris orchestrates the action in the field
Regis Le Bris has been the man on the line in Sunderland since 2024. For many years, the 48 -year -old had made a name for himself as a youth coach and manager in France at Stade Rennes and FC Lorient -and he also worked in England on a future. Before Le Bris moved to Sunderland, he had hospitated many clubs in the Premier League, including Arsenal and Chelsea FC.
Success suggests that he took a lot with him at these stations to be successful in England. Le Bris has developed talents into top players, one of them is Jobe Bellingham, who switched to Borussia Dortmund for around 30 million euros this summer. Above all, however, he led Sunderland back to the Premier League with excited football.
Xhaka is even more for Sunderland than for Leverkusen
For the trainer, the owner and many players, the first English league becomes new territory – so responsibility for Xhaka goes far beyond the sporting value. The Swiss will earn more money, yes. But he will above all be the face of a club that is a myth in England and could now be too old on a way back. Xhaka managed to make “Vicekusen” as a leader for the first time. Sunderland will probably not be about titles, but no less about a masterpiece.
Because promoted to the Premier League traditionally spend a lot of money through the new possibilities – but in the past two seasons, all six upstarts have also failed crashing and have increased again at sometimes large intervals. Sunderland’s “Youth Fort Project” faces the biggest exam – and now needs an old master.