@TalkingHighbury Honestly, an 8/10 - he’s had a great first season in the Premier League and he’s contributed a lot. His goal vs Forest & Sunderland (H) were top. I think he’s fit in very well, there’s always room for improvement but he’s a solid player and I think is disrespected at times 🤷♂️
I've been hurt by Sunderland players leaving before...
Darren Bent to Aston Villa, Patrick Van Aanholt to Crystal Palace, Stéphane Sessègnon to West Brom, even Josh Maja to Bordeaux...
I could always handle players like Henderson, Mignolet, Jobe taking huge, deserved leaps, Pickford the same after we were relegated... but I've never liked players making sideways steps.
Nothing though, will be able to prepare me for seeing Granit Xhaka in a Chelsea shirt... I can't begin to fathom it.
Chelsea are a bigger club, with a better chance of silverware over the next few seasons... but they've finished 10th or below twice in the last 4 years, finished 3 places below Sunderland in 25/26, losing to us home and away, and feel like a long way off their peak.
Xhaka would throw away EVERYTHING he's said about Sunderland, the fans, the community... to move back to London, work with a manager he's already worked with and represent one of Arsenal's biggest rivals?
I'm always reluctant to use words like betrayal... football is a business, players have to make decisions that they think is best for them...
But for me it would be one of the most soulless moves of the summer.
🚨🗣️NEW: Balotelli reacts to Djed Spence refusing to shake Thomas Partey’s hand before Ghana and England kick-off:
“Funny world, isn’t it? The white players lined up and shook Partey’s hand, but the black player decides he’s the one who can’t? If that’s a statement, then explain the statement. If it’s personal, say it’s personal. Don’t hide behind silence and let people write the story for you.
Football is a mirror: sometimes it reflects unity, sometimes it exposes hypocrisy. A handshake costs nothing, but refusing one can cost a thousand explanations. Everyone will rush to make this about race, others will swear it’s about principles, and the truth will drown somewhere in the noise.
If you snub a man publicly, don’t be surprised when the public turns it into a courtroom. One skipped handshake has created more headlines than ninety minutes of football. That’s the modern game: a gesture becomes a grenade, and social media pulls the pin.”