Granit Xhaka returned to the Premier League on Wednesday with a move to newly-promoted Sunderland.
The former Arsenal captain joined from Bayer Leverkusen and signed a three-year contract at the Stadium of Light.
The 32-year-old Xhaka spent seven years at Arsenal, where he won two FA Cups before moving to Germany and helping Leverkusen lift the Bundesliga title in 2024 as part of a league and cup double.
At Sunderland, his primary task will likely be to help the club avoid relegation.
“We are back to where this club needs to be, and we want to stay here to write our own history. I feel that I’m ready to help the team with my experience but with quality as well," Xhaka said.
Xhaka is captain of Switzerland and has won 137 caps for his country.
Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said the signing of Xhaka was a “significant endorsement of our ambition and our desire to build a team our supporters can be proud of in the Premier League.”
“His accomplishments and quality need little introduction – he’s a player of the highest calibre on and off the field,” Speakman said.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Leverkusen's Granit Xhaka gestures during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Sparta Prague at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)
DRESDEN, Germany (AP) — Large groups of fans invaded the field and threw flares before being chased away by police in a German second-division soccer game between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
Dresden fans in the club's yellow and black colors ran the length of the field toward a section containing fans of visiting team Hertha, who also jumped a fence and moved toward the field. Lit flares were thrown from both sides, some of them landing near spectators, and some fans seemed to trade blows.
Police then stormed onto the field from an entrance in the corner of the stadium and chased dozens of Dresden supporters back toward the other end.
It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured or if there had been arrests.
Referee Sven Jablonski stopped the game and took the players off for over 15 minutes. During that time, police formed two lines across the field facing the Dresden supporters. A banner in Hertha's blue and white colors was set alight and displayed in the Dresden end.
The game eventually resumed. It was the second stoppage after an earlier delay when fans let off pyrotechnics and smoke filled the stadium. Hertha won the game 1-0.
Also, there was fan unrest at the final whistle when Borussia Dortmund beat Stuttgart 2-0 in a top-division game. A group of Stuttgart fans approached the field but stopped behind advertising boards and a chair was thrown onto the field.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
A steward removes burning pyrotechnics from the pitch during a stoppage in play in the Bundesliga 2 soccer match between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha BSC, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Dresden, Germany. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)
Hertha BSC fans, left, and Dresden fans scuffle during a Bundesliga 2 soccer match between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha BSC, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Dresden, Germany. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)
Police officers stand in front of the K-Block section with Dresden fans during a stoppage in play in the Bundesliga 2 soccer match between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha BSC, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Dresden, Germany. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)
