The former Arsenal captain left Bayer Leverkusen for Sunderland at the start of the season and is regarded by many inside English football as the signing of the season.
Xhaka recalled to FourFourTwo: “I didn’t expect to be back here in the Premier League. But I was done with my decision very quickly.
“I spoke to Kyril (Louis-Dreyfus) I spoke to Jermain Defoe and I spoke to Lorik Cana, who has a similar background to me and had a great spell here at Sunderland.
“Kyril was very open from the start. Then when you start to see yourself coming to this football club, you ask ex-players, and Jermain and Lorik spoke very highly of the club and fans.
“When I left Arsenal for Leverkusen, I signed a five-year contract – it was long-term for a 30-year-old because I thought I wanted to finish in Germany, then see what happened afterwards.
“But after speaking to Sunderland, I found myself sitting there with my family, wondering, ‘What do we do?’ It’s not about myself at that stage – it’s about my wife, my kids, brother and parents.
“It’s important that we make the right decision as a unit, together.
“It was an amazing two seasons at Leverkusen, but I was sure. I wanted the next challenge – and that has come with Sunderland in the Premier League.
“It’s the greatest challenge of my career both on and off the pitch, and I’m very happy I decided to come here.”