What position does Granit Xhaka play?

Granit Xhaka plays as Central Midfielder / Deep-Lying Playmaker for Sunderland. Under head coach Régis Le Bris, Xhaka is Sunderland's captain and the hub of their possession game. He joined from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2025 on a three-year contract for a reported initial fee of £13 million, and in his first season the club finished seventh in the Premier League — their highest top-flight finish since 2000-01 — to qualify for the 2026-27 Europa League league phase. He usually plays as the deeper, left-sided midfielder, connecting the centre-backs with the attacking line.

What are Xhaka's key football skills?

Positional Play: Constantly adjusts his position relative to the ball and team-mates so there is always a clean passing angle through the first line of pressure. Long Diagonal Switching: Driven, flat diagonals with the left foot that change the point of attack in one pass and catch the opponent's far side unbalanced. Press Resistance: Shields the ball, checks his shoulders before receiving and uses his body to protect possession when pressed from behind. Half-Space Occupation: Operates in the left half-space to receive between lines of pressure and play forward or across with his stronger foot.

Central Midfielder / Deep-Lying Playmaker🇨🇭 Swiss·Sunderland·b. 1992

Granit Xhaka

The left-footed metronome — dictating tempo from the base of midfield, switching play with long diagonals and setting the standard as a captain.

Playing Style Summary

Xhaka started out as an attacking midfielder before settling into the role of a deep-lying playmaker in front of the defence, and his game is built on a powerful left foot, positional discipline and a constant flow of instructions to the players around him. After seven seasons at Arsenal, where he was named captain in 2019, he anchored Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2023-24. He returned to England with newly promoted Sunderland in July 2025, captained them to seventh place and a first European qualification in 53 years, and was named the club's Player of the Season. Switzerland's record appearance-maker, he is the reference point through which almost every Swiss attack is built.

Defining Traits

Tempo Controller

Xhaka decides the rhythm of his team's possession — slowing play with short, secure passes when the side needs control, then accelerating it with a single vertical ball when the opponent's block opens.

Left-Footed Diagonals

From the left half-space he hits long, flat switches to the far wing, moving a compact defence across the pitch and isolating a winger or wing-back one-against-one.

Left-Sided Build-Up Anchor

He often drops to the left of the centre-backs in the first phase, giving his side a left-footed passer facing the play and freeing the full-back to push on.

On-Pitch Leader

A natural captain for club and country, he organises distances, calls pressing jumps and manages game states — his value goes well beyond the ball.

Strengths

Range and accuracy of passing with his left foot, short and long
Composure under pressure in the first phase of build-up
Shooting technique from outside the box
Leadership, communication and game management
Tactical intelligence to play as a single pivot, in a double pivot or as a left-sided number eight