Granit Xhaka transfer hurts more than Florian Wirtz as Bayer Leverkusen star Patrik Schick reveals what made new Sunderland signing 'the most important' star

Leverkusen have lost four of their major assets in the summer transfer window. Wirtz, Xhaka, Jonathan Tah and Jeremie Frimpong were instrumental in the club's success in recent times, but have all departed the 2023-24 Bundesliga champions, with three heading to the Premier League and one joining rivals Bayern Munich. While Schick believes Wirtz might have been the best player in the squad, it is Xhaka's leadership and experience that will be missed most, he says.

Talking to Sky Sport, the striker said: "A few important players are now gone: Jeremie, Florian, Jonathan and now Granit. So, the most important players are gone, and that hurts, of course. We're hoping we can bring in a few more good players. Because we're not in a position to fight for the title right now. For me as a striker, Florian Wirtz was the most important player. He could give me the ball and created many chances for me. That's a big loss. We can't replace Florian Wirtz. The quality he has is very hard to find. We have to replace him with the whole team. And find another way to replace him. That's a problem, of course, but it is what it is.

"But Granit Xhaka was the most important player for the whole team, and he's gone now, too. He was a leader. He was the player with the most experience. And simply very important for the whole team. Many things worked well with him. That, I think, is the biggest loss. Now the new players and those who stayed have to show character and give more of themselves, because now is the time for the other players."

Wirtz was regarded as the undisputed hero of the team, scoring 16 goals and registering 15 assists in all competitions last season. His departure had long been seen as a guarantee, but the German side attempted to convince Xhaka to stay, despite him initially pushing for a move to AC Milan. Despite new coach Erik ten Hag's assertion that he would not be sold, the Swiss midfielder ended up joining Sunderland this week.

Leverkusen are rebuilding under new coach Ten Hag and have brought in a few fresh faces, including Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza, Jarell Quansah, Malik Tillman and Christian Kofane. The German side will hope to challenge Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title despite the many changes.