Swiss anger at World Cup over Granit Xhaka Chelsea transfer talks – 'Should be talking about Algeria'

Former Switzerland assistant coach Giorgio Contini has hit out at recent transfer speculation surrounding Granit Xhaka, insisting all focus should be on their World Cup knockout clash with Algeria. Contini, speaking on Blick's podcast FORZA, expressed frustration at the timing of the transfer talk during the tournament.

"What bothers me is that these things are happening during the World Cup," Contini said. "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."

The criticism follows Sunderland's rejection of an 8 million pound bid from Chelsea for the club captain. The Black Cats were left insulted by the offer, with Chelsea unwilling to increase their bid for the 33-year-old due to his age. Sunderland have made clear any further approaches will be rejected.

Xhaka joined Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen for 17.5 million pounds last summer and has been one of the best players in the Premier League, helping the club finish seventh and qualify for the Europa League. Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer criticized Chelsea's offer, describing it as "a pretty embarrassing bid when a year earlier they paid 17.5million and he's been one of the best players in the league."

Xhaka has reaffirmed his commitment to the World Cup. "For me the most important thing is that my family is happy. And we are in Sunderland I'm not even thinking about a transfer," he told Blick. "I'm really happy to finally have a summer without any speculation about my future. That's rarely been the case in recent years. This allows me to fully focus on the World Cup."

While Contini acknowledged Chelsea's appeal, noting that "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 focus remains on Switzerland's encounter with Algeria.