World Cup 2026: A new chapter in Granit Xhaka’s resurgence as Switzerland chase history

Xhaka is now one of the most influential players in the Premier League but just seven years ago it looked like his career in the English top flight was over.

Then at Arsenal, supporters had grown frustrated with some of his poor performances and he sometimes found himself the target of boos.

Those jeers eventually became too much for Xhaka and after he was jeered as he was substituted during a draw with Crystal Palace in October 2019, he taunted his own fans by cupping his ears.

Then manager Unai Emery stripped Xhaka of the club’s captaincy and his departure seemed only a matter of time.

But Xhaka dug in and instead turned things around superbly after Emery had been replaced by Mikel Arteta, winning back the support of the fans with his leadership and combative displays, reclaiming the armband to captain Arsenal to FA Cup victory in 2020.

“You could always hear him,” Theo Walcott, a team-mate of Xhaka’s at Arsenal, said previously on Match of the Day.

“No matter where you were in the training ground you could hear him speaking to someone – if it is a member of staff, a younger player or more experienced player and he was like that on day one.”

A move to Bayer Leverkusen followed where he helped the German club go unbeaten on their way to a league and cup double, before returning to the Premier League last summer with newly-promoted Sunderland.

There he played a pivotal role in helping the Black Cats to not just avoid an immediate return to the Championship but instead surprise all by finishing seventh to secure a place in the Europa League for the coming season.

“Going away to Germany really helped,” added Walcott.

“It really enhanced his levels of leadership.”

His displays caught the attention of Chelsea in the summer, but rather than move to a club that is more likely to challenge the Champions League places next term he instead re-affirmed his commitment to Sunderland.

“He’s the most influential signing in the North East since Kevin Keegan at Newcastle in 1982,” North East football journalist Ian Murtagh told BBC Radio Newcastle.

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“I’m not saying necessarily the best, but in terms of influence, in terms of driving up the standards, in terms of communicating with his team-mates, I think there are huge similarities between the two – even though they’re 40 years apart.”