Sunderland have made calls to signal £34m star

One of many key the reason why Sunderland thrived within the Premier League final season was that they nailed their recruitment in the summertime switch window.

The headline additions have been the likes of Granit Xhaka, Brian Brobbey, and Nordi Mukiele, who joined from huge European groups and have been in a position to hit the bottom working on the Stadium of Mild.

They introduced in gamers who have been used to enjoying for giant groups in pressurised matches on the prime degree, which meant that the leap to the Premier League was one which they have been able to making.

One signing that went just a little below the radar compared to the opposite examples talked about was the £19.3m signing of Enzo Le Payment on a everlasting deal from Roma.

How Sunderland hit the jackpot with Enzo Le Payment

The French star was not considered as one of many huge summer season signings alongside the likes of Xhaka and Brobbey as a result of he had already been on mortgage from Roma within the second half of the 2024/25 Championship marketing campaign.

He was an excellent instance of the membership’s phenomenal recruitment work, although, as a result of they recognized him as a viable goal while he was at a low level in his profession.

After becoming a member of Roma from Rennes for £19.5m, the attacking midfielder didn’t make an affect within the Serie A for Roma, enjoying simply six instances earlier than making the transfer to Wearside.

He had beforehand caught the attention in Ligue 1 with Lorient and Rennes, although, scoring six targets and creating 11 ‘huge possibilities’ within the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns mixed.

Regardless of failing to shine for European giants Roma, Sunderland have been prepared to take a danger on Le Payment due to his kind in France, and so they have been richly rewarded, after he scored 5 targets and offered six assists within the Premier League final season.

Sunderland make calls to signal star who has shades of Enzo Le Payment

Now, with a Europa League marketing campaign on the horizon, the membership are setting a few new summer season of recruitment and Regis Le Bris‘ facet already taking a look at a participant who has shades of Le Payment.

Fabrizio Romano reviews that Sunderland are one among numerous groups within the race to signal Tarik Muharemovic from Italian facet Sassuolo in the summertime switch window.

The Italian journalist claims that the Black Cats and Bournemouth have each made calls to carry talks with the Serie A staff a few potential deal for the central defender.

He provides that fellow Premier League rivals Leeds United have additionally joined the race for the 23-year-old expertise, who has been valued at £34m by a earlier report.

Curiously, Muharemovic might arrive on the Stadium of Mild as a participant who has comparable experiences to Le Payment, however within the reverse order, as he didn’t make the grade at Juventus earlier than signing for Sassuolo in 2025.

The Bosnia worldwide emerged as an thrilling younger defensive prospect at Wolfsberger in Austria earlier than becoming a member of Juventus’ academy, however he by no means made a first-team look earlier than leaving final yr.

Simply as Le Payment didn’t play common soccer for Roma’s first-team, Muharemovic was unable to interrupt into Juventus’ staff within the Serie A, however his kind for Sassuolo means that they might have made a mistake.

The 23-year-old star, who has been described as “dominant” by journalist Graham Smyth, gained 64% of his floor duels and 64% of his aerial duels throughout 32 appearances within the Italian top-flight final time period, while making one error that led to a shot or objective.

Omar Alderete, in the meantime, gained 50% of his floor duels and 58% of his aerial duels, while making a whopping 5 errors that instantly led to pictures or targets, within the Premier League for Sunderland final time period.

These statistics recommend that the Bosnian expertise, who’s a left-footed defender, might be a extra dominant and fewer erratic central defensive choice for Le Bris compared to Alderete, which is why he might be a superb addition to the squad.

The Black Cats shouldn’t be postpone by his failure to make the grade at Juventus, as a result of they’ve already seen with Le Payment that one failure doesn’t outline a participant.