Xhaka and Sunderland: 3 reasons Ghisolfi now calls him the perfect player
Florent Ghisolfi has put Xhaka at the center of Sunderland’s season, and the description is more than praise. In Ghisolfi’s telling, the midfielder was not only a major signing but the player who changed how the club was perceived in the market, in the dressing room, and in the wider project. Sunderland’s summer rebuild was always meant to prepare the squad for the Premier League, but the arrival of Xhaka appears to have altered the scale of what followed. That is why the label matters now.
Why Xhaka changed the tone of Sunderland’s rebuild
Ghisolfi said the first conversation made the move feel immediate. Xhaka decided within minutes that Sunderland was the destination he wanted, and that commitment became a defining moment in the club’s Premier League journey. The director of football described the signing as a “statement” that made later recruitment easier because Sunderland became more attractive to other players once the deal was done.
That matters because major rebuilds are rarely shaped by one transfer alone. In this case, Xhaka seems to have done two jobs at once: strengthened the team on the pitch and validated the project off it. Ghisolfi’s argument is that the club’s credibility rose because a player with top-level experience chose Sunderland over other options, including lucrative alternatives. In a market shaped by status as much as need, that choice can shift how the rest of a squad is assembled.
On-pitch authority and dressing-room standards
Xhaka has been central to Sunderland’s season not only as a midfielder but as a leader. Ghisolfi said he has been “amazing” as both a player and a leader, adding that his values fit the club and the community. Those are not empty words in a season in which Sunderland have exceeded expectations and remained in contention for Europe as Premier League football resumes.
His influence has also been visible in key moments. He led the dressing room team talk before the Tyne-Wear derby win at Newcastle, a detail that underlines how quickly he became part of the club’s internal structure. The broader point is that Xhaka has helped define standards day to day, which is often the hidden work behind a successful season. The team’s performance has been the public face of that impact, but the internal culture may prove just as important.
There is also a tactical layer. Ghisolfi’s admiration suggests Xhaka has given Sunderland a stable reference point in matches and in preparation. When a club says a player has made recruitment easier, it usually means that player has reduced uncertainty. That is particularly valuable for a side trying to establish itself in the Premier League while keeping momentum intact.
Injury management, international duty and the run-in
There is, however, a practical concern around fitness. Xhaka returned to Sunderland’s starting XI after a spell out with injury and a carefully managed comeback. He then played 45 minutes for Switzerland during the recent international window, with national team boss Murat Yakin allowing the midfielder to decide how much football he would play.
That cautious approach reflects the importance of the next stretch. Sunderland are preparing for Premier League action to resume this weekend against Tottenham, and Xhaka’s availability matters because his influence has stretched beyond simple numbers. He has been part of a side that was not expected by many to be where it is now. The fact that his minutes are being handled carefully shows how central he has become to both the club’s short-term ambitions and its longer arc.
One detail stands out: when a player is considered important enough to shape a transfer window and delicate enough to require managed minutes, his value is no longer confined to a single role. It becomes structural.
What Xhaka means for Sunderland’s wider identity
The larger implication is about identity. Sunderland’s recruitment, their dressing-room tone, and their public ambition all appear to have been reinforced by one signing. Ghisolfi said he did not think the perfect player existed, but changed his mind in Xhaka’s case. That is a strong line, yet it reflects a wider truth in football: the most influential players are often those who make a club feel more certain about itself.
For Sunderland, the challenge now is to sustain that certainty. Xhaka has helped make the team more competitive and the club more credible, but the next phase will test whether those gains can survive beyond one standout season. If the standards he has set continue to hold, Sunderland may be building something deeper than a good campaign.
So the final question is not whether Xhaka has been important — that much is clear — but whether Sunderland can keep the same edge once the season’s pressure rises again and the next version of the project begins to take shape around him and after him.
