Premier League surprise package Sunderland could look to consolidate their superb start to life back in the top tier when the January transfer window opens.
Regis Le Bris' side won last season's Championship play-off final and have defied all expectations by losing just two of their opening 11 games, putting them fourth in the table.
Granit Xhaka could be joined by former Arsenal teammate at Sunderland
After Xhaka's success in central midfield, Sunderland seem to be keeping an open mind about signing one of their new skipper's former Arsenal teammates, who also has links to manager Le Bris.
The player in question is French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who spent two years plying his trade at the Emirates Stadium in 2018/19 and 2019/20.
Guendouzi had joined Arsenal from French side Lorient, having come through a B team then managed by Le Bris.
During his stay at Arsenal, Guendouzi made 54 appearances alongside Xhaka before being sent out on loan to Hertha Berlin and then Marseille, with the latter move then becoming permanent.
Guendouzi repeated that same process in joining Lazio on an initial temporary basis with an option to buy in summer 2023, which the Italian side chose to activate the following year.
And as Fabrizio Romano relays, Le Bris has acknowledged he has an ongoing relationship with Guendouzi, saying: “We still have connections with players and Matteo is one of those players. I worked with him previously in Lorient so we stay connected”.
Guendouzi has been a key player for Lazio and has already racked up 103 appearances for the club in all competitions in less than two and a half seasons.
In FourFourTwo's view, that may make it difficult for Sunderland to prise Guendouzi away from Rome, especially as he still has another two and a half years left on his contract at Lazio.
On the other hand, Sunderland have shown themselves to be extremely ambitious in the transfer market and will be keen to guard against a precipitous slide down the table in the second half of the season.
Just a kid when he was at Arsenal, Guendouzi has developed into a strong ball-carrying midfielder with an eye for a forward pass - though his disciplinary record remains poor.
Guendouzi has picked up 19 yellow cards and two reds since joining Lazio, including a straight red card for abusing the officials after the final whistle in his side's defeat to fierce city rivals Roma earlier this season.
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