Granit Xhaka has claimed it will be a special reunion with Arsenal when he faces off against his old side with Sunderland over the weekend. The midfielder spent seven years with the Gunners, plenty of which were not plain sailing and came with their challenges.

After a successful stint at Bayer Leverkusen, Granit Xhaka made a noteworthy return to the Premier League this summer, signing with Sunderland. His prior experience with Arsenal was marked by mixed sentiments among fans, which often overshadowed his contributions.

When Granit Xhaka made the surprising move from Bayer Leverkusen to AFC Sunderland last summer, many Bundesliga fans shook their heads in disbelief. The Swiss national player, at 33 years old likely

Everton are well on top here. Noah Sadiki was the Sunderland player tackled by Barry in the lead up to Ndiaye's goal, and he's let his frustration out with a wild tackle. He goes into the book as does Nordi Mukiele for apparent dissent afterwards.

Sunderland are unchanged from the side who beat Chelsea 2-1 last time out. Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Geertruida, Mandava, Traore, Xhaka, Sadiki, Le Fee, Isidor. Subs: Patterson, Neil,

Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris has praised captain Granit Xhaka’s crucial leadership role. This comes ahead of Monday’s Premier League encounter with Everton. Le Bris described the Swiss

Preview the matchup between Everton FC and Sunderland AFC with predictions, odds, over/under, betting lines and more.

I think it sums up just how far Sunderland have come in such a short space of time that I sit here writing this feeling disappointed that Sunderland are not currently sitting second in the Premier League table.