Florent Ghisolfi’s recent Sunderland transfer comments have taken on fresh significance after shock Granit Xhaka reports
Florent Ghisolfi’s recent comments on major Sunderland player sales have taken on fresh significance after shock reports linking Granit Xhaka with Chelsea.
The Sunderland captain has emerged at the centre of a major transfer story, with Fabrizio Romano claiming the midfielder could be a surprise Chelsea signing and Florian Plettenberg reporting that personal terms have already been agreed.
The Echo understands Sunderland would not welcome any offers for Xhaka at this stage, and the player is considered not for sale. The Black Cats are under no pressure to sell, with the midfielder under contract until 2028 after signing from Bayer Leverkusen last year.
But Ghisolfi has already made clear this summer that while he wants to keep Sunderland’s squad together, he would “never be afraid” of sanctioning a major sale if the deal was right for the club.
Speaking earlier this month, Ghisolfi said: “Personally, I am never afraid to sell a player. Sometimes, we need to refresh the team, and I am sure and confident that we can replace them. It is a different situation than in my past because we are competing in the Premier League, so along with that, experience is important.
“Last summer, people could say we brought in players with a lack of Premier League experience, and that is true, but it was difficult to buy players with that level of experience. This summer, we should be attentive to trying to keep this level of Premier League experience we have now, keeping this team together. We want to keep every starter. We want to keep the team together, but if we have to sell someone then you know how the football industry works, it will be okay. It will be okay for us, we will replace him.”
Those comments were not made specifically about Xhaka, but they do provide useful context at a time when Sunderland’s captain is being linked with a high-profile move away. Xhaka is not just another player in Régis Le Bris’ squad. He is captain, a dressing-room leader and one of the key reasons Sunderland adapted so impressively to life back in the Premier League. His influence helped drive the Black Cats to a seventh-place finish and Europa League qualification.
That is why Sunderland’s stance is understood to be firm. The club do not want to sell, are not encouraging offers and have two years of contract protection. They also have European football to offer next season, while Chelsea do not. At the same time, Ghisolfi’s wider transfer philosophy is relevant. Sunderland must consider PSR, SCR and UEFA squad cost rules, and any major fee for a player who turns 34 next year would inevitably create a financial conversation.
Ghisolfi also explained how his previous work in France shaped that view, pointing to Lens’ sale of Loic Bade as an example. He said: “Sometimes, you just have to back yourself to be able to replace well. At Lens, for example, I sold Loic Bade. We took him free, then we sold him after one year of playing with us for €20million.
“We are in a world of fear; everyone was saying, ‘Wow, it is a disaster’. But we went out and bought Kevin Danso to replace him for €5million, and now he is at Tottenham and being talked about as a £25million player. It didn’t take long before they were saying, ‘Oh, he is better than Bade’. Of course, you cannot always do this. But we are confident to be able to do that kind of thing here.”
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