Roy Keane Crowns Sunderland Star as Premier League\u2019s Best Player in his Position for 2025-26<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a season defined by standout individual performances, former Manchester United captain and Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane has delivered a definitive verdict: Sunderland\u2019s Granit Xhaka is the Premier League\u2019s premier midfielder for the 2025-26 campaign.Speaking on a recent broadcast, Keane left no room for debate. \u201cGranit Xhaka has been the best in his position this season, full stop,\u201d he declared. \u201cPure dominance in every single match. He dictates tempo, wins battles, and makes the game look simple. That\u2019s leadership. That\u2019s quality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xhaka\u2019s journey to this acclaim has been remarkable. After leaving Arsenal and enjoying success abroad, the Swiss international made a surprise move to Sunderland in the summer of 2025. Many questioned whether the 33-year-old could adapt to the intensity of a newly-promoted side fighting for European spots. Instead, he has become the heartbeat of the Black Cats\u2019 midfield, anchoring their rise with metronomic consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Statistically, Xhaka has dominated. He leads the league in progressive passes and ball recoveries among central midfielders, while maintaining an impressive 92% pass accuracy. His ability to break lines with precise distribution has unlocked Sunderland\u2019s attack, and his physical presence has shut down opposition threats week after week. Opponents speak of the difficulty in bypassing him; teammates credit him with setting the standard in training and matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keane, never one for hyperbole, highlighted Xhaka\u2019s \u201cold-school\u201d qualities: tenacity, positional intelligence, and the rare capacity to control matches without flashy tricks. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t need headlines,\u201d Keane added. \u201cHe just does the dirty work at the highest level, and that\u2019s why Sunderland are where they are.\u201dXhaka\u2019s influence extends beyond statistics. His leadership has helped integrate younger talents at the Stadium of Light, fostering a balanced squad that punches above its weight. Fans have embraced him as a cult hero, chanting his name loudly during home games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the season has ended, Xhaka\u2019s form during the final lap of the season shows no signs of slowing. Finally Sunderland secured European football, one thing is clear: Roy Keane\u2019s endorsement reflects a broader consensus. Granit Xhaka has been the Premier League\u2019s most reliable and dominant midfielder in 2025-26 \u2014 a masterclass in consistency and leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Roy Keane Crowns Sunderland Star as Premier League\u2019s Best Player in his Position for 2025-26 In a season…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sunderland"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot_20260524_184400_Instagram.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=778"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":781,"href":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778\/revisions\/781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agajahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}