Sunderland’s “signing of the season” is now their best player since Amad
Sunderland had to take the long route back to the Premier League after they were relegated from the division at the end of the 2016/17 campaign.
The Black Cats endured seasons in League One, a Championship play-off loss, and a midtable finish in the second tier before they eventually earned promotion back to the big time earlier this year under Regis Le Bris.
One of the most impactful signings made on their journey back to the Premier League, despite it not being in their promotion season, was the loan arrival of Amad Diallo.
Where Amad ranks among Speakman's pre-Premier League signings
Kristjaan Speakman brought a strategy of buying and loaning in talented young players with potential to improve with him to the sporting director role at the Stadium of Light, and has had plenty of success with it over the years.
In the seasons leading up to this summer’s recruitment, it is hard to argue against Jack Clarke being his best piece of business. The winger initially joined on loan in the 2021/22 campaign, signing permanently in 2022, and scored 28 goals in 114 matches, per Transfermarkt.
1
Jack Clarke
2
Amad Diallo
3
Ross Stewart
4
Daniel Ballard
5
Trai Hume
Ross Stewart also deserves to be up there for his 24-goal haul in the 2021/22 League One season, per Transfermarkt, whilst defender Dan Ballard and Trai Hume also rank highly as they have both played in the Championship and the Premier League.
Amad, though, ranks in second place, with his return of 14 goals and three assists in the second tier on loan from Manchester United in the 2022/23 campaign, per WhoScored.
The Ivorian talent fired the Black Cats to the play-offs, scoring four more goals than any other player in the squad, as an incredibly exciting player to watch on the right wing, and his impact was evident by the fact that Sunderland finished 16th the season after he left.
Now, Sunderland have found their most impactful signing since Amad Diallo by bringing Granit Xhaka to the club from Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
Why Xhaka is Sunderland's most impactful signing since Amad
As Amad was signed more recently than Clarke was, the former United loanee is the player to beat to be the most impactful signing since his arrival on Wearside.
Xhaka, signed from Leverkusen for £13m in the summer, has had a colossal impact on the side with his exceptional performances in the middle of the park for Le Bris.
The left-footed star arrived at the club as a proven Premier League performer, with 297 appearances for Arsenal (Transfermarkt) under his belt, and his performances have reflected that experience.
FotMob rating
7.42
1st
Assists
4
1st
Goals + assists
5
1st
Chances created
18
1st
Big chances created
5
1st
Passes made per 90
42.9
1st
xA
1.3
1st
Long passes made per 90
4.4
1st
As you can see in the table above, the Switzerland international tops the charts for the Black Cats in a host of key statistics, which highlights just how influential he has been on the pitch in the top-flight this term.
Last month, Wayne Rooney described him as “the signing of the season” and suggested that Xhaka, 33, is like a “father figure” to the rest of the players in what is a young squad, setting an example for his teammates.
Rooney’s point about him being a father figure is an interesting one. He was the oldest signing of the summer, per Transfermarkt, and is the oldest player in the squad to have made an appearance in the Premier League this season.
Whilst this is unquantifiable, someone like Rooney, a Manchester United legend, will know what kind of an impact that can have in a dressing room, and he feels that Xhaka is an important presence for this young Sunderland squad.
Couple that with his clear and quantifiable impact on the pitch in the Premier League, and it is hard to argue against him being the most impactful signing of the summer.
Xhaka has been a phenomenal addition to the squad, their best since Amad’s sublime loan spell, and Le Bris will be hoping that he continues to be a shining light in midfield for the rest of the season and beyond.
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The signing of the Swiss star has shown how important it is to have experienced players in key positions to be the backbone of the side, in order for the younger players to develop and thrive around them.