Sunderland skipper Xhaka: Louis-Dreyfus call made all the difference

For many in England, Xhaka has proved the signing of the season.

The 33-year-old told the Süddeutsche Zeitung: "Some decisions take time, but I made this one immediately.

"The owner (Kyril Louis-Dreyfus) called me sometime in June, around 11 p.m. In Albania, they say: A phone call at that hour means either something bad – or something great."

Xhaka explains: “People know each other in Switzerland, but I didn’t know that a Swiss person owned an English club.

" The key was that the owner hadn’t contacted me personally in any of my previous transfers. That impressed me.”