Former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has declared Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka the Premier League’s “signing of the season,” praising the midfielder’s immense influence after his Man of the Match performance against Everton.
A Game-Changing PerformanceCarragher’s high praise followed Sunderland’s 1-1 draw with Everton at the Stadium of Light on Monday night. Xhaka, the Black Cats’ captain, was instrumental in securing the point, scoring immediately after the break to cancel out Iliman Ndiaye’s brilliant opening goal for the visitors.
The former Arsenal and Switzerland international was rightly named Man of the Match.
Unprecedented InfluenceSpeaking before the match, Carragher initially gave the former Bayer Leverkusen star the ‘signing of the season’ title, arguing few players have had a greater impact on their team.
“He must be the signing of the season,” Carragher stated on Sky Sports. “When you think of someone who’s influential on their team… is there anyone right now in the Premier League having a bigger influence on their club than Granit Xhaka? There can’t be. An absolutely brilliant signing so far.
“After the final whistle, the Liverpool legend doubled down on his assessment, impressed by the midfielder’s dominance.
“For me, I thought Granit Xhaka was absolutely fantastic again. Not just the goal but head and shoulders above almost everybody on that pitch tonight.
“The 33-year-old Xhaka played 297 games for Arsenal between 2016 and 2023 before moving to Germany, where he helped Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga title under Xabi Alonso.
His move to Sunderland has quickly established him as a key leader and one of the league’s standout performers.