Town defender Leif Davis believes Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka was the signing of last season as the Blues prepare to face the Black Cats in their Premier League opener on Saturday.
Having only been promoted from the Championship via the play-offs the previous season, the Wearsiders secured a seventh-placed finish last term to defy the odds and achieve European qualification for the first time in more than 50 years.
Their success under Régis Le Bris was in no small part due to the acquisition of Switzerland international Xhaka, who played 34 Premier League matches as Sunderland captain after signing from German side Bayer Leverkusen.
Town have been active in the transfer market with Julio Enciso and Abdoul Ouattara’s arrivals making it 12 summer signings so far ahead of their own top-flight return this weekend.
Boyhood Newcastle United supporter Davis, who is now heading into his fifth campaign in Suffolk as one of the Blues’ longest-serving players, admitted Sunderland have proved to be a model for other newly promoted teams to follow.
“They recruited well last year with the likes of Xhaka coming in. For me, he was probably the signing of the season,” he told TWTD during an exclusive interview in Berlin last week.
“That’s not nice to say as a Newcastle fan, but he did incredible for them. To have a player like that in your dressing room is always important, to bring that morale and connection together as a team.
“You can see why they did so well and got into Europe, the recruitment that they did was top. Hopefully, it will be a good game and a good challenge. Hopefully, we start the season well.
“When I step on the pitch, if I do play the game, you’ve got to treat it like any other game and you can’t play the occasion. We said a lot of times in the promotion games that you can’t play the occasion because that’s when it will take over, we’ve got to play the game.
“It’s a big one because I’m a Newcastle fan, I got messages straight away from all my mates and my dad, who said he’s coming straight to the game.
“If we play the game, hopefully, it will all take care of itself and hopefully we get a good start to the season. Then it’s another two tough games after that [at Manchester United and at home to Liverpool], but we’ll take it game by game and hopefully have a good start to the season.”
During the previous Premier League campaign two years ago, Town only won one home match all season with Chelsea the only visiting side to leave Suffolk without a single point.
Their form on home soil was in stark contrast to each of their last three seasons in the EFL, where the Blues only lost once in front of their own fans and turned Portman Road into a fortress.
If Gary O’Neil’s side are going to give themselves a greater chance of survival this time around, Davis knows their record on their own turf will play a huge part in defining success.
He said: “The fans play a massive part and to play at Portman Road is always special. I’ve said it a lot, it’s probably one of the best atmospheres and places I’ve ever played football. That’s why I think we have that connection with the fans and why we have won a lot of home games.
“We want to change that from the last time we were here and make it a big statement to win a lot of games at home. It would be nice for the fans, [for us] to give something back for what a few years ago was.
“But it can’t just be at home, it has to be away as well. The fans travel here, there and everywhere for us, and we always want to put on a show for them and do everything we can to get three points.
“Home or away, we have to do better than we did in the Premier League last time and do everything we can to get three points every week. It will be a good challenge but we’re looking forward to it.”
Photo: TWTD
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