Sunderland
Sunderland complete £10.4m signing of Omar Alderete from Getafe
Omar Alderete joins Sunderland from Getafe for £10.4m on a four-year deal as the club’s 11th signing
Sunderland have added experienced international defensive cover with the signing of Omar Alderete from Getafe in a deal worth £10.4m. The Paraguay international has signed a four-year contract and becomes the club’s 11th arrival of a busy summer window.
“Sunderland have signed defender Omar Alderete from Spanish side Getafe for £10.4m. The Paraguay international has agreed a four-year deal,” reported Sky Sports. Alderete, 27, joins a squad that is rebuilding following promotion back to the top flight and arrives with a clear role to play at the Stadium of Light.
Alderete brings top-level experience in Spain’s top flight with Getafe and previous Bundesliga exposure with Hertha Berlin. He is noted in the club announcement for his strong aerial ability and composure under pressure. Those attributes, combined with physical presence and reading of the game, should provide immediate resilience to a defence that has been extensively reshaped this summer.
The signing also gives manager Régis Le Bris tactical options. Alderete can be deployed in a traditional back four or as part of a three-man defensive unit, offering versatility that may be valuable as the season begins and the club adapts to Premier League demands.
This transfer is part of a significant recruitment drive. Alderete is the 11th incoming player and the club’s summer spending has moved beyond £130m. Observers have noted the scale of activity and drawn comparisons with Nottingham Forest’s 21 signings in the summer of 2022, though Sunderland’s approach has been presented by the club as targeted additions rather than scattergun recruitment.
With a four-year deal, the club have signalled that Alderete is intended as a long-term asset rather than a short-term fix. Integrating a large cohort of new arrivals remains the management team’s immediate challenge, but Alderete’s experience at a high level should help steady a defence in the early fixtures. For Sunderland, the objective is clear: assemble a squad that competes in the Premier League rather than merely surviving, and this signing aligns with that strategy.
Premier League
Every Premier League player selected for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
Complete list of Premier League players called to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Details
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco will feature 24 nations across a month-long tournament. Several Premier League clubs will lose players during the congested winter schedule; others will be unaffected.
Six clubs avoid any absences: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Leeds United and Newcastle United have no players called to AFCON. Sunderland are the most affected Premier League side, sending six players to Morocco, twice the number of the next-most impacted clubs.
Manchester United, Fulham and Burnley each have three players away for the tournament. Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City will each be without two players. Liverpool have a single absentee: Mohamed Salah of Egypt.
Full list by club:
Arsenal: none
Aston Villa: none
Bournemouth: none
Brentford: Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso), Frank Onyeka (Nigeria)
Brighton & Hove Albion: Carlos Baleba (Cameroon)
Burnley: Axel Tuanzebe (DR Congo), Lyle Foster (South Africa), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia)
Chelsea: none
Crystal Palace: Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal)
Everton: Idrissa Gueye (Senegal), Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal)
Fulham: Calvin Bassey (Nigeria), Alex Iwobi (Nigeria), Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria)
Leeds United: none
Liverpool: Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Manchester City: Rayan Aït-Nouri (Algeria), Omar Marmoush (Egypt)
Manchester United: Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco)
Newcastle United: none
Nottingham Forest: Willy Boly (Ivory Coast), Ibrahim Sangaré (Ivory Coast)
Sunderland: Bertrand Traoré (Burkina Faso), Arthur Masuaka (DR Congo), Noah Sadiki (DR Congo), Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco), Reinildo (Mozambique), Habib Diarra (Senegal)
Tottenham Hotspur: Yves Bissouma (Mali), Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)
West Ham United: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DR Congo), El Hadji Malick Diouf (Senegal)
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast), Tawanda Chirewa (Zimbabwe)
Additional squad notes from the Premier League: a long-term injury to Yoane Wissa has ruled him out of DR Congo selection and he will instead train with Newcastle over the winter. Simon Adingra was omitted from the Ivory Coast squad. Nigeria did not select Nottingham Forest right back Ola Aina and Wolverhampton striker Tolu Arokodare, the former due to injury. Ghana’s failure to qualify means Antoine Semenyo and Mohammed Kudus will not be competing.
Premier League
Why Granit Xhaka’s arrival makes him the early signing of the Premier League season
Granit Xhaka’s arrival has transformed Sunderland, providing leadership, minutes and derby influence
The case for the Premier League’s most consequential summer signing this season is straightforward and rooted in impact. Granit Xhaka arrived at Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen for £13 million and, four months into the campaign, has become the club’s central figure.
On Sunday he was forced off with a cut eyelid at the Stadium of Light, furious to leave a game he was dominating. He has played 1,423 of a possible 1,440 Premier League minutes this season, has supplied four assists and one goal, and averages one foul a game while collecting four yellow cards so far. His presence has helped Sunderland to 26 points and a position where safety looks within three wins.
The derby win over Newcastle crystallised his value. Xhaka ran the show against Nick Woltemade, whose £69 million move from Stuttgart ended in a spectacular own goal. Xhaka imposed himself physically, with a challenge on Lewis Miley, and tactically, using his left foot to switch play and directing teammates such as Bertrand Traoré and Robin Roefs to cover threats.
Sunderland’s recruitment has been bold. The club spent £149 million on 11 new signings, yet only Xhaka, Simon Adingra from Brighton & Hove Albion and Bertrand Traoré had prior experience in the English top flight. A three-year contract and the persuasiveness of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus underline the ambition behind the move.
Xhaka’s story is also one of redemption. Stripped of the captaincy at Arsenal under Unai Emery and sent to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023 for £21 million after repeated suspensions, he rebuilt his reputation under Xabi Alonso. Kicker magazine described him as “the strategist”. His coaching education and experience guiding younger players in training have equipped him to lead a newly promoted side.
Compared with high-profile signings elsewhere—Hugo Ekitike’s 10 goals in 23 games for Liverpool since his £69 million move, Martin Zubimendi settling at Arsenal after a £60 million transfer, or Gianluigi Donnarumma’s assured displays at Manchester City—the defining metric for Xhaka is transformation. For sheer influence on a club’s season, few signings match his effect at Sunderland.
Arsenal
Shortlists for November Premier League Player and Manager of the Month
Nominees for November’s Premier League Player and Manager awards, highlighting key performances. Stars
The Premier League shortlists for November have been published, highlighting individual runs that shaped the month.
Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes closed November with three goals, two of which arrived in the win over Manchester City. Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall delivered a memorable strike against Manchester United, also scoring against Newcastle and providing an assist against Fulham. Manchester City winger Jérémy Doku produced one of the season’s most eye-catching individual displays as he demolished Liverpool and helped Pep Guardiola’s side remain competitive in the title race.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes finished November with four assists, creating goals against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace. Morgan Gibbs-White enjoyed a three-game scoring streak for Nottingham Forest, firing home against Man Utd, Leeds United and in the away victory at Liverpool.
Chelsea defender Reece James featured in all four of the Blues’ Premier League matches in November. His assist in the 1–1 draw with Arsenal capped off a truly stunning individual showing in a month which yielded a total of three clean sheets. Arsenal’s Declan Rice added attacking impetus with a goal against Burnley and an assist in the north London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Brentford striker Igor Thiago continued his hot form, adding five goals across November with strikes against Newcastle, Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley among them.
Managers with strong cases included Mikel Arteta after Arsenal’s unbeaten month, which produced wins over Burnley and Tottenham as well as draws with Sunderland and Chelsea. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa won three of four and emerged as outside contenders in the title race. Pep Guardiola’s Man City scored a league-high 10 goals in November, including the victory over Liverpool. Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton & Hove Albion conceded once in four games, producing wins over Leeds, Brentford and Nottingham Forest. Chelsea went unbeaten under Enzo Maresca with three wins and a draw. Marco Silva’s Fulham recorded three wins over Wolves, Sunderland and Tottenham.
Recent monthly winners: Jack Grealish (Everton, August), Erling Haaland (Man City, September), Bryan Mbeumo (Man Utd, October). Recent manager winners: Arne Slot (Liverpool, August), Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace, September), Ruben Amorim (Man Utd, October).
