Trai Hume addresses Granit Xhaka transfer speculation and Sunderland dressing room concerns amid fan frustration

Trai Hume has dismissed suggestions that summer speculation linking Granit Xhaka with Chelsea has affected Sunderland’s dressing room, insisting the captain remains the team’s leader.

Speaking after the Europa League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb, the defender acknowledged that both Xhaka and his teammates have fallen short of the standards they expect of themselves this season. However, Hume was clear that the transfer speculation surrounding the midfielder and Chelsea last summer had not had an impact on the players.

The loss at the Stadium of Light brought further frustration after Sunderland’s Premier League defeat to Coventry City, with supporters booing another disappointing performance. Xhaka’s form has been among the talking points for fans, alongside questions over Régis Le Bris’ tactics and the team’s failure to produce a sustained improvement.

Asked whether the summer speculation had affected the dressing room, Hume said: “No, it’s had no effect on us as players. Granit has obviously been a big player for the club since he’s come. He’s our captain, our leader, and just like us, he knows he can be better, and we know we can be.

“He demands more from us. We need to step up to the levels we know we can hit but haven’t reached this season. We know as players we are a good team, and we have to reach the levels of the Premier League. Unfortunately we haven’t reached that so far, but that’s what we need to address and improve.”

Hume’s comments were an acknowledgement that Sunderland’s problems require a response from across the squad. While reaffirming Xhaka’s importance, he also accepted that more players must take on responsibility during a difficult spell. Asked whether it was time for other leaders to step up, the defender agreed.

“It has to be,” he said. “It’s tough when you’re not winning games week in and week out when you’re training well. We’re working hard as a team in training, then it comes to the weekend, and you’re not getting the results. It does sting, and it’s tough, but we’re hurting just as much as anyone else at the club, including the fans.”

Sunderland’s failure to turn their work on the training ground into performances and results has become an increasingly frustrating theme. Hume did not challenge supporters’ right to express their disappointment, accepting that their reaction was understandable. But with Chelsea next, he stressed that the players cannot allow that disappointment to linger.

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“The frustrations are completely valid, and we’re disappointed, but you can’t be disappointed for too long because you’ve got to play a game every three or four days. We need to address it and improve, and the only people who can go out there and change it is us as players.”

Sunderland are bottom of the Premier League with just five points from their opening nine matches. Le Bris’ side have won once, drawn twice and suffered six defeats, leaving them under growing pressure. Their latest league outing ended in a 3-1 defeat at Coventry, with Chelsea visiting on Sunday afternoon.

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