Sunderland fans frustrated by Granit Xhaka to Chelsea speculation | OneFootball

Granit Xhaka’s Sunderland future is under scrutiny amid Chelsea interest, with Black Cats supporters increasingly irritated by the ongoing speculation.

The Swiss midfielder was a surprise arrival last summer, returning to the Premier League after a stellar spell with Bayer Leverkusen. He joined Die Werkself in 2023, winning the Bundesliga unbeaten and the German Cup, with only Atalanta denying a treble in the Europa League final.

After one further season in Germany, he moved to Wearside and thrived. His experience and leadership helped Regis Le Bris’ team finish seventh and qualify for this season’s Europa League.

Chelsea’s new head coach Xabi Alonso is looking to reunite with Xhaka, and reports suggested Sunderland knocked back a bid described as derisory over the weekend.

“What bothers me is that these things are happening during the World Cup. Granit is very focused and can block that out, but we should be talking about the upcoming opponent, Algeria, not Chelsea. I’m not interested in what Granit does after the World Cup right now. Chelsea aren’t just any club. And if I were Xabi Alonso and had the opportunity to sign Granit Xhaka, I would do it.”

The remarks were made on Blick’s Forza podcast.

Sunderland maintain Xhaka is not for sale at any price as the captain focuses on Switzerland’s World Cup finals round of 32 meeting with Algeria.

Source: Sunderland Echo