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.
Take a bow, Robin Roefs 🔥
He saves all three of Everton’s penalties, and Sunderland win the shootout thanks to Luke O’Nien 👏
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK