da bwin： Sunderland now only have one Premier League win from their last six matches, after a surprising 3-1 loss on the road at West Ham United.

da dobrowin： Nuno Espirito Santo’s men raced into a three-goal lead before the half-time mark, as the likes of Trai Hume in the Black Cats’ defence really struggled to contain the relentless hosts.

Regis Le Bris wouldn’t get overly emotional at the full-time whistle, though, with the Frenchman simply stating that his side must “stay composed” during this sticky patch, so they don’t fall even further down the competitive division.

He wasn’t helped by Granit Xhaka sitting out the contest at the London Stadium, with an ankle injury sidelining the ex-Arsenal midfielder, no doubt worrying Sunderland supporters, considering how vital he has been to the Wearside outfit’s cause so far this season.

Why Xhaka has become one of Sunderland's best-ever signings

It remains to be seen how long Xhaka is out of the first team fold for, with the ex-Lorient manager failing to give a time frame as to when his Swiss enforcer will be back.

Hopefully, the Premier League newcomers are just being cautious, with the £13m battler once deemed as the “signing of the season” across the entire division by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, when considering how much of an impact Xhaka has made in such a short space of time at the Stadium of Light.

Xhaka really has been the midfield glue that has held his team together all season long, with the well-rounded midfielder collecting one goal and five assists for his troubles, to ensure his newly promoted side has collected points when games have been tough and gruelling.

He has also been energetic and tenacious, much like he displayed throughout his up-and-down stay at Arsenal, with seven duels and tackles won in mid-December, helping Le Bris’ men get the better of fierce rivals Newcastle United in the Tyne-Wear Derby.

That same bite and endeavour was missing from Sunderland’s tired display in London, as the aforementioned Hume only won one laboured duel in total, with the Black Cats now having to make do without their Bundesliga-winning warrior for as long as it takes him to get back to full fitness.

It’s quite the story that Sunderland managed to tempt Xhaka away from Leverkusen to Wearside, as an even bigger coup than his statement return to England could be on the cards shortly.

Sunderland could seal a bigger coup than Xhaka

There hasn’t been an overwhelming pile of transfer news involving Sunderland this January, which is very unlike their whirlwind summer of constant activity.

Still, with the clock ticking down, one final big move shouldn’t be ruled out, with reports from Spain recently revealing that Le Bris and Co are keen on landing Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz.

The duminutive Los Blancos attacker is being valued at a whopping £52m, which would break Sunderland’s transfer record by some distance – with Habib Diarra currently possessing that crown at £27m. As a consequence, this could be a statement deal that’s even more earth-shuddering than Xhaka stepping onto Wearside soil.

It really would be an astounding move if Diaz were to swap the Spanish capital for a chance in England shortly, with the Morocco international fresh off an African Cup of Nations tournament where he finished the competition as top scorer, powering home a devastating five strikes from just seven contests.

Diaz’s career record

Competition

Games

Goals + Assists

Serie A

91

13 + 14

La Liga

90

13 + 13

Champions League

45

7 + 3

Sourced by Transfermarkt

He did, of course, have that moment of madness in the final, where he missed a dramatic penalty for his nation, but it’s clear from his club numbers above, too, why he has been dubbed an “astonishing” talent by Italian football expert Mina Rzouki, with a combined 77 goal contributions next to his name for both Madrid and AC Milan.

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A stunning ten of those have come on Europe’s grandest stage in the Champions League, where he has regularly shown off why he has been dubbed a “fireball” in the forward areas by Madrid-based writer Kiyan Sobhani, when scoring sumptuous strikes such as this one versus RB Leipzig for fun.

Xhaka has regularly competed at this illustrious level, too, but it’s safe to say, at 33 years of age, that he’s far more of a veteran than Diaz, who is in the prime years of his career, now, at such an iconic club in Real Madrid.

If Sunderland were able to tempt him away from the grasp of Alvaro Arbeloa’s men, this would send shockwaves through the footballing world, as it would show that the Black Cats want to be a serious Premier League regular.

The Xhaka deal did just the same when he entered the ranks last summer, but the Black Cats would have to break records to secure Diaz, in an even bigger coup than their beloved captain.

Sunderland open talks to sign Bundesliga ace with the same agent as Granit Xhaka

He’s been called ‘very reliable’ and ‘strong’.

ByEmilio Galantini