At just 27 years of age, the Swiss-French businessman is younger than some players, though it's clear that his ownership is no gimmick.
Black Cats spending big this summer
In less than five years since he took over the club, Sunderland have been promoted twice, including in an epic Championship playoff final against Sheffield United back in May.
Losing Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund during the summer will have been a huge blow for the club, however, manager Regis Le Bris has already been able to go out and buy Habib Diarra from Strasbourg (£30m), Simon Adingra from Brighton (£20.5m), Enzo Le Fee from Roma (£20m), Chesmine Talbi from Club Brugge (£19m), Noah Sadiki from Union Saint-Gilloise (£17.5m) and Reinildo Mandava from Atletico Madrid on a free transfer.
Now it's being reported that the club are making a hugely ambitious bid to bring experienced Bayer Leverkusen ace, Granit Xhaka, back to the Premier League.
The 32-year-old Swiss has 137 caps for his country and extensive EPL experience thanks to his time at Arsenal, not to mention playing the fullest part in helping Leverkusen to their first and only Bundesliga title in 2023.
He still has three years left on his contract with the German side, but there's apparently an understanding that he could be allowed to leave if the right offer comes in.
Xhaka's reliability isn't in question despite his age
A romantic reunion for Sunderland with former player Jordan Henderson is off the table now that he's signed for Brentford, though Xhaka's combative style and leadership qualities are certainly reminiscent of Hendo's.
It might surprise many to note that he's won more fouls (93) than he's conceded (69) in Germany, though 10 yellow cards could do with being improved upon if he wants to become an asset to a new employer.
The Black Cats are going to need those experienced heads, too, in order to complement an energetic young squad whose sole aim in their first season back should be to consolidate. To that end, a move for Xhaka makes perfect sense.
During his time at Leverkusen, only Edmond Tapsoba (102), Jonathan Tah (109), Piero Hincapie (97), Jeremie Frimpong (110) and Robert Andrich (92) played more games than Xhaka's 78, of which 75 were as a starter.
Therefore, unless he was unlucky enough to sustain an injury, Xhaka's reliability isn't in question.
Incredible pass completion stats
With a passing accuracy of 88.7% at its lowest and going as high as 94.6%, the defensive midfielder rarely wastes a pass, and having made 6,957 throughout his two seasons in Germany, he can be rightly proud of such a high level of accuracy.
He's no shirker when it comes to working hard for the team either. His 378.2km covered during the 2024/25 campaign was the fifth most of any player in the Bundesliga. 2,426 intensive runs are also indicative of a player who leads by example on the pitch.
Of course, no quarter is ever asked or given where Xhaka is concerned, so it's no real surprise that he's won 285 of the one-on-one duels and 76 of the aerial duels he's taken part in, as well as making 460 ball recoveries.
Of the 94 tackles he's attempted in the past two seasons, he's registered a more than satisfactory high of 72.4%, and indeed, as that extra line of defence in front of the back four, he's been virtually peerless.
As a supplementary attacking presence, indeed, goals have never really been his forte given his position within the team, but woe betide any opponent that does actually give him a sight of goal.
That's because all of his six for Leverkusen came from outside the box - as did 15 of the 25 he scored for Arsenal - thanks to an amazing left foot.
Drive and determination are exactly what Sunderland need
His drive, determination, will to win, and the standards he sets for himself and those around him are absolutely what Sunderland need if they are to do more than find themselves in a relegation battle all season long.
At a reported €10m, he would be a steal of a signing; however, the riches of Saudi Arabia may yet tempt him to see out his days in the Middle East.
It's understood that Saudi Pro League side NEOM have placed a bid for the player as well as offering a huge financial package to Xhaka himself.
If his thoughts around his next move are based solely on salary, then there's no question that he'll move to Saudi Arabia. However, heading back to the Premier League as the fulcrum of a side with a clear project and the ambition to deliver it may well be more of a temptation at this stage of his career.
