Getting flogged by Flamengo U21 a few days ago was just a prelude of what is to come. Xhaka knows Leverkusen is finished with ETH at the club, and that's why he wants out before it's too late. Another thing is that he's not fighting to move to a bigger club, as most players would do. He's fighting to go to Sunderland, which Leverkusen is obviously bigger than. That tells me he's desperate about leaving and does not want to stick around when the ship starts sinking.
Yet another set of fans raging their anger on Erik Ten Hag after this loss, this time around it is the issue of Xhaka, who said he is leaving because he sees the ship sinking? Xhaka might have his major reason with why he has been looking for a way out of a club which necessarily doesn’t mean they have to be top clubs or because the club is sinking. Xhaka might be going away most probably because his contract is coming to an end and the club isn’t ready to actually offer him new contract and that’s why he is seriously hunting for new club and with his age there is limited clubs that would require his service.
As for Ten Hag except people that hold him high contempt that will be judging him already. Ten Hag is the manager and he was the best to me in all of the available then. People will judge base on past experience with Manchester United but they fail to understand that even at Manchester united which was predicted to be his worst job so far he still won trophies there
Not sure where the idea comes from that Xhaka is on the move just because his contract is running down. He's literally got THREE YEARS left, runs until 2028, and Leverkusen would have to actively agree to any exit. The club can dig in, and frankly, Ten Hag already sounds like he is about to go full "Ronaldo at United" on him ("We’re not letting anyone else go!"). It is not about "no one wants a 32-year-old". Sunderland's offering him a juicy 3-year deal right now because even a promoted Premier League side can out-muscle a Bundesliga runner-up in wages
It is more about the insane Premier League money, Xhaka being smart about getting his last big payday, and he probably wants nothing to do with Ten Hag. Every forum you look at, people are talking about how his "stamina bar was empty" last season, overworked in Alonso's system, and now Ten Hag wants to crank it up another notch. I would run too
Yeah, Ten Hag's got his haters, but objectively, he is not some fraud. Two trophies at United (even that mess of a squad) tells something. His record is way better than people give credit for: 58% win rate, clear philosophy, but he is a control freak. He will go to war over discipline. If Xhaka's agent thinks he can play the "my client wants out, let him go" card, good luck. This could get even messier if results do not pick up. Wouldn't be surprised if Sunderland ups the fee and gets him anyway, just for the survival factor