Granit Xhaka Compares Sunderland's Régis Le Bris to Arsène Wenger
Granit Xhaka has worked for some of the sharpest minds in modern football. Arsène Wenger, Unai Emery, Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso – the Swiss midfielder has seen elite coaching up close in England, Germany and Switzerland during spells at Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Basel and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
So when he draws a comparison, it carries weight.
‘The small Arsène Wenger’
Speaking before Sunderland’s looming showdown with his former club Arsenal, Xhaka did not hesitate when asked about the man now directing his career at the Stadium of Light, Régis Le Bris.
"I call him like the small Arsene Wenger," he told TNT Sports.
"As a human being, he's top. He's very calm, he's not a guy who screams, he has all the solutions and tactically, he's amazing. And even for him, to get a new team, now again with new players, I believe is not easy.
"But he showed himself that he is a great manager, he showed himself that he can improve this team, the players. And myself, I'm very thankful that I can have a coach like him."
The comparison is striking. Wenger, the legendary figure who transformed Arsenal. Le Bris, the meticulous Frenchman who walked into Sunderland last summer and quietly began reshaping a newly promoted side.
Sunderland’s statement of intent
Le Bris made Xhaka the centrepiece of that project. Sunderland moved for the Switzerland captain from Leverkusen in a transfer that underlined their ambition to do more than just survive on their Premier League return.
It worked.
In their first season back in the top flight, Xhaka wore the armband and drove Sunderland to a stunning seventh-place finish, punching a ticket to the Europa League and smashing almost every pre-season prediction.
Ask Xhaka why Le Bris stands out from the stellar cast of managers he has known, and he doesn’t talk about charisma or slogans. He goes straight to the details.
"He's very detailed. So if he analyses something - not just the opponent, but even us and more the individual meetings - he's very detailed," Xhaka said.
"He goes into details that I haven't seen often in a coach. So every player here has improved over the last 16 months and I think there is still space to improve for everyone."
That obsession shows itself on the training pitches. Sessions built around fine margins. Individual meetings that drill into specific movements, decisions, positioning. Nothing too small, nothing left to chance.
The captain as conduit
Inside that environment, Xhaka’s role is clear. He is not just the most decorated player in the dressing room; he is the standard-bearer.
From the middle of the pitch he links Le Bris’ tactical demands with a young, hungry squad, setting the tempo in possession and the tone in attitude.
"If I'm not the guy who's taking the first step, who is following me? I'm a guy who demands a lot from himself. This is the first thing I demand from myself," he said.
"I never show the finger first to others before I show it to myself. Sometimes people forget about the difference between demanding and complaining because, for me, these are two pairs of shoes.
"I want to win. And I want to win if I'm at home, I want to win when I'm on the pitch in training, and I want to win in the weekend games as well. This is me."
That relentlessness has become part of Sunderland’s identity under Le Bris. High standards Monday to Friday, then the same edge on matchday.
A reunion with Arteta and a reality check
Now comes the real examination. Arsenal away. Arteta in the opposite dugout. A perfect start to the season on the line for the Gunners, and a chance for Sunderland to measure themselves against one of Europe’s most complete sides.
For Xhaka, it is more than a nostalgic return to North London. It is a live test of how far Sunderland have travelled in a short time under the “small Wenger”.
To get anything from the Emirates, they will need every ounce of Le Bris’ famed preparation. The midfield axis of Xhaka, Diarra and Sadiki will have to disrupt Arsenal’s rhythm, close spaces, and turn a reunion into a contest rather than a celebration for the home crowd.
Xhaka knows what awaits. He knows the atmosphere, the patterns, the pressure. And he knows what message Sunderland must carry into that cauldron.
"We will never give up."
