Ten Hag: Leverkusen Must Keep Xhaka

International media reported on Wednesday that Bayer Leverkusen coach Erik ten Hag claimed Granit Xhaka is too essential for the team and they can’t allow him go even though there are suggestions that he might move to Sunderland.

Leverkusen has already lost a lot of their best players. Striker Florian Wirtz and defender Jeremie Frimpong both transferred to Liverpool, the Premier League winners. Centre back Jonathan Tah has accepted a contract with Bayern Munich.

Granit Xhaka, who left Arsenal to join Leverkusen, is rumoured to be moving to Sunderland, an English club. His representative told German media that the 32-year-old has a deal in principle with the newly-promoted Premier League club.

Erik Ten Hag remarked that the agent might say anything, but the team couldn’t afford to lose anyone else because it had already lost three key players.

“The agent can say whatever they want. “But this team has already lost three key players,” Ten Hag noted.

“That’s not going to happen. We won’t let any more guys go. That would ignore the team’s structure and culture.

“It’s apparent that Granit is a leader; he signed here for five years and has three years left on his deal. We can’t let him leave because he’s too vital to us.

Xhaka was a key player for Leverkusen in the 2023–24 season, when they won the double (the Bundesliga title and the German Cup) without losing a game and made it to the Europa League final.

In 99 games with Leverkusen, he scored six goals and set up nine others.

Ten Hag, who used to be the manager of Manchester United, became the coach of Leverkusen after Xabi Alonso left to coach Real Madrid in May.