The French defender has spoken to the local media after joining Sunderland earlier this summer
New Sunderland signing Nordi Mukiele
Nordi Mukiele has explained the reason behind his Sunderland transfer and his first few weeks on Wearside.
(Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Sunderland's new arrival Nordi Mukiele admits he was looking for 'something different' in the next stage of his career before putting pen to paper on a deal at the Stadium of Light this summer.
The French defender made his competitive debut for the Black Cats in their recent Carabao Cup exit against Huddersfield Town - a disappointing result, but minutes in the tank for a promising new arrival.
Mukiele has played at an elite level in European football, playing in the Champions League for RB Leipzig, PSG and Bayer Leverkusen, with the Premier League the next challenge on his agenda.
"I think I just wanted to see something else," Mukiele explained after his first outing in red and white earlier this week. "I was in some team where we were fighting to win the title or to play in the Champions League. Here, it's something different.
"The story, all of these things around the club, it's really exciting. It's not like you come to one club who just came up in the Premier League. No, it's something more deep inside and that's why I decided to come here.
"Like I said, I don't regret my choice. I'm very happy with this choice. Like I said, I will fight for this club. Since the first day I came here, until the end, I will fight for them, so they don't have to worry about this.
"It's going to be exciting. I love to play the big games, even the small ones. I love to play with a big team like what you said just now. I will bring all these things I had before. I know we have a smart team and very good players. I know they will follow this way too."
Granit Xhaka
Granit Xhaka played alongside Nordi Mukiele during their time with Bayer Leverkusen. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
Sunderland have surprised outsiders with the size of their ambitious project this summer, spending close to £150million on new arrivals, with the likes of Granit Xhaka among those big names to move to the Stadium of Light. A player Mukiele knows well from their time at Leverkusen together.
"When you talk with one player, a man like Granit, you have to listen to him," he added. "We were talking just a bit but when you talk with Granit and you know what he did before in his career, you just have to believe him. I was one year in Leverkusen with him.
"We got a really good relationship on the pitch and off the pitch. He was talking but it was a small part about this and to be honest, I'm really happy that I was talking with him."
Despite being excited about the new challenge ahead, Mukiele was keen to stress that the new group will need time to adapt.
"You know how football is," Mukiele continued. "It's not that you buy a lot of players and you're going to play very good. No, we will need time, of course.
"But when I see the quality of the team and what the coach tried to put inside of this team, I believe that we will do something good. Maybe it takes time. It's OK. This is football. But I believe that we will do something good."
The 27-year-old may have only been on Wearside for a few weeks, but has been left impressed by the early work by Regis Le Bris and his coaching staff. He said: "One thing I would say is it's really calm, very chill. This is a very good thing and you need this as a player.
"The coach is really chill and calm and he explains everything in a good way. We also have staff who know how to talk and this is very important. Because we know we're going to suffer this year, this year, this season.
"Of course, yes. We need also the boss of the team, the coach, to help us and put us in a good way. Even if we have Granit and also me, we have this experience to do it. But it's very important that you have a coach like this who knows how to talk with the players.
"Everything is really good and I know, even if it takes time, I know this club is going to be really, really good like before."
Mukiele's first outing at the Stadium of Light may have been in front of a smaller crowd for the Carabao Cup, but the first game he took in before signing for the club - the win over West Ham United for the Premier League curtain raiser - is why he loves football.
"To be honest, it's really different than Germany and France," he revealed. "When I came here and I saw the atmosphere, it was really unbelievable. I like it. This is why we love football. This is why we want to play.
"This is also why you want to fight for this jersey. When I came here and I saw the score, 3-0, all the players were fighting, all the fans were happy. I think I don't need anything else to give everything for them.
"The only thing I want is that they are all happy and I know we're going to do it. Not only me, I know all the team, all the staff. We're going to do everything good that will make them happy every day."
Nordi Mukiele in action for Sunderland against Huddersfield Town
Nordi Mukiele in action for Sunderland against Huddersfield Town.
Mukiele started at centre-back alongside fellow new arrival Arthur Masuaku, but believes operating at right-back is his best position, despite wanting to do whatever is best for the team.
"I would say I prefer to play as a right-back," he said. "But today, the coach needed me to play as a centre-back. I just respond. I go on the pitch and I do what I have to do.
"This is my job. If I have a preference, I would say right-back, of course. I'm here to help the team and this is what I will try to do for this season."
Mukiele has made it clear he wants to write his own story in England and like many around the world, watched the Netflix documentary Sunderland 'Til I Die, but wants to make sure fans don't experience lows like that ever again.
"Yes, of course I watched it," Mukiele said. "Not all, but I watched it a bit. That's why I was saying that I would do everything to put this club where they deserve to be.
"After what happened here, they don't deserve it. Now I'm really happy that we are back in the Premier League. We just have to stay here for the next year, but we will start for this year.
"I know with the quality of the team, with the coach, with the fans, I think we are not 11 on the pitch. We are 12, 11, 30, 40. I believe that we will do something very good. I'm a positive guy. I'm really confident and I want to give that to everyone here."