Sunderland's Granit Xhaka (Image: Peter Byrne)
Sunderland's Granit Xhaka (Image: Peter Byrne)
REGIS LE BRIS says Granit Xhaka's love for Sunderland is stronger than ever - and the captain wants to build on his stunning first season on Wearside by "achieving something even bigger" next term.
The signing of Xhaka 12 months ago was a game-changer for the Black Cats and the 33-year-old starred on and off the pitch for Le Bris' side.
But his future was plunged into brief uncertainty in the summer when it emerged that his former boss Xabi Alonso was interested in taking him to Chelsea.
The potential move is said to have initially appealed to Xhaka, but Sunderland made it clear their captain was not for sale and the midfielder then committed himself to the Black Cats, to the delight of the coaching staff and officials on Wearside.
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Now, Xhaka is ready to once again lead Sunderland as Le Bris' side get set to kick off what will be a historic campaign at Ipswich Town tomorrow.
“Behind the scenes nothing happened but it’s about the trust, the confidence and the connection with the club," said the head coach.
“It is really clear Granit loves this club, loves the group and loves to be part of this journey after one season.
“And you still have a small window around the World Cup to think about different things but quickly he switched on to, ‘this is Sunderland, I want to go here, I want to stay here and I want to achieve something even bigger next season’.”
Coventry boss Frank Lampard this week said he was using Sunderland's success last season as inspiration for his newly promoted side, while tomorrow's opponents have followed the lead of the Black Cats from 12 months ago and overhauled their squad.
Le Bris said: “I don’t know if it is possible to repeat.
“It shows that we did well last season and maybe this project can be useful but Ipswich is not Sunderland and it is always a different story."