REGIS LE BRIS concedes Granit Xhaka may be battling a hangover after Xabi Alonso’s failed bid to lure him to Chelsea.

But Sunderland’s boss insists his Swiss Superman’s warrior spirit remains intact.

Xhaka, 34, was top of Alonso’s Stamford Bridge wishlist following the Spaniard’s arrival in West London this summer.

The Blues chief was desperate for a sensational reunion with the talismanic playmaker who inspired his unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen side to the Bundesliga crown.

Yet the Black Cats dug in their heels and blocked the move, keeping the 34-year-old on Wearside.

The form of Xhaka, who later reiterated his commitment to Sunderland, has nose-dived since that saga with the midfield maestro looking a shadow of his former self.

Alonso instead swooped for Jordan Henderson, a Mackem who came through the ranks at his hometown club before a big-money move to Liverpool in 2011.

With Sunderland sitting bottom of the league, few would begrudge Xhaka looking across the pitch against top-four chasing Chelsea’s Henderson with envious eyes this afternoon.

Asked whether the transfer drama has affected Xhaka and potentially fractured the dressing-room harmony, head coach Le Bris admitted: “[It’s] hard to say. It’s always complex. It’s one element in the equation, so I don’t know, to be fair.”

Opposite number Alonso declined to discuss his pursuit of Xhaka. But the Blues manager acknowledged the key role the midfielder had played in Leverkusen’s success.

Alonso said: “We spoke a lot in that time in Leverkusen with Granit because he was a key part of that team.

“He glued many, many pieces together in the middle with the back three. Mostly with the players around him. It was a very good time together and I’m looking forward to seeing him on Sunday.”

Xhaka struggled previously in tough times as Arsenal skipper, having a run in with fans before being stripped of the armband.

However, he was rehabilitated under Mikel Arteta but Le Bris says he has not needed to perform any such act himself.

He said: “What I know is what I see every day, the involvement of Granit, his standards, training standards, his willingness to play for Sunderland.

“Thursday, we planned to play 60 minutes, but at half-time he told me, ‘I’ll go all the way. I will help the squad.’ This is Granit.

“So after that, he is human, he will have ups and downs. You are not the same player when you are 34 that you were at 23. His game is evolving as well, but his commitment is superb, no doubt about that.”

Meanwhile, Xhaka’s Sunderland team-mate Trai Hume is adamant their current slump has nothing to do with Xhaka’s flirt with Chelsea.

The Northern Ireland defender 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.”

Xhaka was a statement signing in the summer of 2025 after Le Bris had led Sunderland to promotion. Eyebrows were raised when the Black Cats managed to snap him up for £17m and he proved to be worth every pound of that by leading them to Europa League qualification last term.

However, it could quite easily have been Henderson lining up in red and white this afternoon instead.

The England international was desperate to return to the Premier League following miserable spells in Saudi Arabia and at Ajax.

Despite denials at the time, Le Bris has now admitted that owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and director of football Florent Ghisolfi did hold talks with Henderson over an emotional homecoming.

Though he is delighted with how things turned out after they opted for Xhaka instead while Henderson went on to join Brentford before moving to Stamford Bridge this summer.

He said: “Absolutely! Granit is superb as well. Jordan is a great player, first of all. For the connection with the club, it’s not my part. It was with Flo and Kyril, they had conversations.

“I thought that it could have been a good signing for the club, a good symbol, a great player, a great leader. But the market is a market.”