Newly-promoted side Sunderland AFC confirmed the signing of French defender Nordi Mukiele as it continues strengthening its first Premier League squad in nearly a decade.
“I know the story of Sunderland, so it didn’t take long to make a decision. It was a bit fast, but I love football, which means I love challenges. I will just try to give everything to this club. I will do that from the first day,” Mukiele told the club website after completing the transfer.
Mukiele, a DFB Pokal winner with RB Leipzig, spent two seasons with Ligue 1 giant Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), sharing the dressing room with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Mukiele played 45 games for PSG and won five trophies – Ligue 1 x2, Trophée des Champions x2, Coupe de France — with the French side.
“I will bring heart. I really love football, and I love to give everything to people who also give me love. Also, my quality on the pitch. I think I have a good experience in the game now, and I also want to give that back to my teammates,” Mukiele added.
The 27-year-old penned a four-year deal with the Black Cats, reuniting with club captain Granit Xhaka, with whom he played at Bayer Leverkusen, on loan last season.
“I talked to him and he explained to me about the challenge and why he chose to come here,” Mukiele explained. “When a player like Granit speaks, you have to listen to him with both ears!
“This is one of the reasons why I could really understand this project. It was a long conversation, but a good one, because it meant I made the decision really quickly,” he added.
Mukiele made 24 appearances at Leverkusen last season, scoring twice and assisting once. He becomes the 12th signing for Sunderland this season, which includes club record signing Habib Diarra from Strasbourg.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com