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Sunderland Fans Captured Exactly What They Were Waiting For in the Skies

Originally posted on Sunderland on SI | By Manuel Meza | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 11:28 AM ET

Sunderland fans have begun reacting to the signing of Granit Xhaka, with some even photographing the Swiss player's plane before it landed.

The signing of the 32-year-old midfielder is, perhaps, the highest-caliber arrival the English club's sporting direction has secured this summer.

For a team recently promoted to the Premier League, completing these types of signings is essential. Well, Sunderland fans know this very well.

So much so that some supporters were watching the skies and managed to see the plane carrying Xhaka before it landed in England to undergo his medical with the Black Cats, and subsequently sign his contract.

Sunderland fans captured Granit Xhaka's plane in the skies

"There he is," wrote one of the fans through Twitter (X), accompanied by a photo of Xhaka's plane in the sky.

"Flying over my house. Welcome, Granit," said Collin, another Sunderland fan.

Flying over my house welcome Granit ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/ACHdeiZofL
— Colin Roberts (@mackem49000) July 28, 2025

It's evident the fans' excitement is, almost literally, through the skies, as they wait for the club to officially announce the signing of the former Arsenal star.

pic.twitter.com/0gfvl2xewX
— Billy⚪️ (@billyblyth) July 28, 2025

Yesterday, Fabrizio Romano revealed the Swiss arrives at Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen for €20m, despite the Lads board initially offering €10m.

The aforementioned journalist also stated Xhaka will sign a contract with the Black Cats until June 2028, right after completing his medical this same Tuesday.

Therefore, the official announcement of his signing is just around the corner.

Some days ago, Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg reported that the agreement reached between the Swiss and the English club was for a contract until 2028, with an option to extend until 2029.

Thus, Xhaka could wear Sunderland's shirt until the summer of 2029, provided certain conditions are met. We'll see.

Xhaka will join other top-level midfield signings made by Sunderland, such as Habib Diarra (21), who arrived from RC Strasbourg, Noah Sadiki (20), signed from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, or even captain Dan Neil (23), who was already a key piece for Regis Le Bris last season in the Championship.

This article first appeared on Sunderland on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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