Dream £26m signing might be Sunderland’s largest coup since Granit Xhaka

With only some weeks to go till the Premier League season kicks off, Sunderland have solely added one new signing to their first-team squad this summer time.

Thomas Meunier signed for the Black Cats on a free switch so as to add depth to their choices at right-back, probably coming in behind Nordi Mukiele and Trai Hume.

With a Premier League and Europa League marketing campaign forward, Sunderland have but to strengthen their beginning line-up with new recruits to raise the workforce.

Regis Le Bris and the recruitment workforce hit the jackpot final summer time with the likes of Granit Xhaka, Mukiele, Brian Brobbey, and Omar Alderete, and supporters might be hoping that extra of these sorts of offers are to return.

Why Granit Xhaka was an enormous coup for Sunderland

Sunderland confirmed real ambition in the summertime switch window final 12 months after they swooped to signal Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen for a payment of £13m.

The Switzerland worldwide arrived on the Stadium of Mild with 297 appearances for Arsenal, 99 matches for Leverkusen, and 140 video games for Borussia Monchengladbach below his belt on the prime degree.

He was capable of hit the bottom operating on Wearside due to his huge expertise on the prime degree, and went on to begin 32 instances within the Premier League final season to assist the workforce to complete seventh within the desk.

It was such a giant coup for the membership as a result of they had been capable of persuade such an skilled participant to maneuver on from a giant German workforce to affix a aspect that had simply been promoted from the Championship.

Sunderland had been rewarded for his or her ambition in pursuing Xhaka as a result of he was a terrific performer within the Premier League, providing high quality on the ball as a creator and as a dominant defender out of possession.

Sunderland getting ready to land their largest coup since Xhaka

Now, the membership wish to signal a participant who might be their largest coup since they determined to method Leverkusen for the previous Arsenal midfielder.

Les Violets experiences that Sunderland are fascinated about a deal to signal Dayann Methalie from Toulouse earlier than the top of the summer time switch window.

The outlet claims that the Ligue 1 aspect are ‘getting ready’ to promote the left-back to the Black Cats in a deal that might be price greater than £26m, which signifies that the Premier League aspect are additionally getting ready to carry him to the Stadium of Mild.

In the meantime, the Sunderland Echo experiences that the participant is eager on a transfer to Wearside, suggesting that non-public phrases is probably not a problem.

If the Black Cats can get a deal over the road for greater than £26m, Methalie will change into, at the very least, their second-most costly signing of all time, probably solely behind the £27m that they paid Strasbourg for Habib Diarra final 12 months.

It will be the membership’s largest deal of 2026 to date, for positive, and could be their largest coup since they landed Xhaka, regardless of being for opposing causes.

While the Swiss star was a large coup due to his expertise within the recreation, Methalie could be a giant coup due to how a lot potential he has as a younger expertise.

On the age of 20, he has already proven that he can deal with himself in considered one of Europe’s main leagues and will slot straight into Sunderland’s workforce as a starter, regardless of starting the calendar 12 months as a youngster.

The left-footed defender is a strong and dynamic star who makes use of his tempo and physicality to drive down the flank to make issues occur for his workforce in possession.

Methalie ranked within the prime 6% of Ligue 1 left-backs for profitable dribbles (28) and the highest 21% for xA (2.22) within the 2025/26 marketing campaign, which speaks to his skill to tackle opposition gamers with the ball earlier than producing a top quality supply into the field.

Reinildo solely accomplished 15 dribbles and created 0.70 xA in his begins for Sunderland within the Premier League, which means that Methalie could be an instantaneous improve for Le Bris at left-back.

On the age of 20, the French teen would additionally be a part of with a lot room left forward of him to develop and enhance, therefore why he might be such an enormous coup for the Black Cats, who might nurture his expertise earlier than promoting him on for a revenue sooner or later.

Signing a participant as younger as him with the performances that he has already proven might be thought of as large of a coup as signing Xhaka, regardless of the 2 gamers being at opposing ends of their careers.