Why Granit Xhaka knew from day one that Sunderland move was right decision

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Sunderland pulled off an incredible signing by luring Granit Xhaka to Wearside this summer, but it’s clearly not something he regrets.

They’re one of the surprise packages of the season and Sunderland have been propelled up the Premier League thanks to their new signings, with Granit Xhaka the standout recruit.

The former Arsenal man has taken on the role of captain under Regis Le Bris and has been an exemplary leader both on and off the pitch for the Black Cats.

Xhaka is preparing for an emotional reunion with Arsenal, but it seems he is just as much in love with Sunderland as the fans are with him now.

• READ MORE: Mikel Arteta won’t like to hear Gary Neville’s prediction for Sunderland vs Arsenal

Granit Xhaka’s first day at Sunderland was special

In an interview with The Athletic, Xhaka discussed his thoughts and feelings upon joining Sunderland, and how he knew from the first moment that it was a great place to be.

When asked when he realised he’d made the right choice, he said: “It was the first day I came here, for sure — the first time I walked through this door. It was the feeling here. I believe in first steps and making your first steps into the dressing room, you need to have a positive feeling. I felt it. The first steps are important.

“You have to feel like you’re at home. This is our place, we’re here from nine until three most days and if you don’t feel it when you come inside this place, it’s not so good. But I felt positive. There were not a lot of people here; not a lot of players, but the people I met on the first day were very positive, exactly what I was looking for.”

Xhaka underlined how important togetherness is for this Sunderland side at the start of the season, and we’ve seen that quality come up time and time again for the Black Cats during their impressive run of form.

That all aligns with Xhaka’s latest comments, and there’s no denying that he is one of the key driving forces behind the brilliant team spirit Sunderland have.

• READ MORE: Mikel Arteta will be wary of Premier League decision ahead of Sunderland vs Arsenal

Remembering Mikel Arteta’s first day at Arsenal

As well as recalling his first day at Sunderland, Xhaka also offered an insight into the impact Mikel Arteta had when he first arrived at Arsenal.

He said: “I will never forget the first day Mikel came in. At the training ground, we had a big room and there were some chairs in there, but the chairs were everywhere — chaos. He took all the people who were working in the building into this room and said: ‘Guys, from the outside, you look like this. Chaos’.

“So everyone takes a chair and puts it in the right place and he says: ‘I want you to be like this every day’. You think ‘wow’, he’s started already with these standards — the first day.

“After that, he was building our mentality, standards in training, pre-training, activation, recovery. He brought people in who did a great job. It was unbelievable to work with him because he saw football in a different way.”

Xhaka will no doubt take a lot away from his time with Arteta and carry that into his own inevitable journey into coaching.

We know Xhaka is focused on playing rather than coaching right now, but he’s admitted he is ready to get his badges when the time comes for him to retire. And what a coach he will be, too.