Sports
Sunderland flop is fast becoming their biggest waste of money since Ndong
Sunderland fans are surely still on cloud nine after watching their treasured Premier League team overcome Newcastle United 1-0 in the Tyne-Wear Derby on Sunday.
There was a slice of fortune in the nature of the victory, as Nick Woltemade somehow placed a header past his own goalkeeper in Aaron Ramsdale, but the Black Cats’ fight and energy throughout warranted the three points being collected.
However, a slight jolt back to reality for Regis Le Bris‘ men could soon be on the horizon, to dampen the Tyne-Wear Derby heroics somewhat.
Indeed, the approaching African Cup of Nations tournament has the potential to decimate the first team ranks on Wearside, as a whole host of Le Bris’ first team personnel travel to the mid-season event shortly.
The players Sunderland will miss at AFCON
Kicking off in Morocco on the 21st of December, a startling six figures in Sunderland’s first team will all feature in the tournament. To add context, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool combined will miss that same amount.
While Le Bris will be able to make do without reserve defender Arthur Masuaku, he will be cursing losing the likes of Noah Sadiki, Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi in the middle of the park, with Sadiki’s steely presence in the centre of the pitch no longer being there, going down as a big miss.
Up against Newcastle, the gritty 21-year-old would win all of his duels, as a perfect complementary teammate to Granit Xhaka, with both Chelsea and the aforementioned Red Devils allegedly keeping an eye on the DR Congo international this January transfer window.
Talbi will also be a big miss, having been the goalscoring hero that helped the Black Cats to a last-minute win at Stamford Bridge in late October. Moreover, Bertrand Traore’s absence on the right wing will also be sorely felt over the next month or so, after he broke his Black Cats duck against AFC Bournemouth in November.
Last, but by no means least, losing Reinildo in the left-back spot will also crush Le Bris, with Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley hailing him as Sunderland’s “standout player” on Sunday when dealing with Anthony Elanga comfortably.
Only an injury-prone Dennis Cirkin is a natural left-back in the Stadium of Light camp, away from the ex-Atletico Madrid defender.
Le Bris will have to just utilise his full squad to overcome these AFCON-related difficulties, with this Black Cats flop ready to become a key first-teamer over the tricky winter fixture schedule ahead, having arguably already been dismissed as a Didier Ndong-style dud.
Sunderland’s new Ndong is an AFCON solution
Long before the Wearside outfit were dropping £27m on likes of the aforementioned Diarra, Ndong was the club’s record purchase at the £13.9m mark from Lorient.
To say the Gabonese international’s stay at the Stadium of Light was disastrous would be an understatement, with the now 31-year-old even refusing to play for the club towards the bitter end of his stint in England, having only ever mustered up one goal and four assists from a largely forgettable 54 appearances.
In the here and now, there will be fears emerging that Le Bris and Co. have dropped another Ndong-like clanger in acquiring Simon Adingra for a hefty £21m.
With eight goals and three assists already under his belt in the top-flight with Brighton and Hove Albion, this should have had all the makings of being a top-drawer buy for a newly promoted outfit, with the 23-year-old noted as being “explosive” for the Seagulls by Como scout Ben Mattinson.
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Adingra’s PL numbers by season |
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|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals + Assists |
|
25/26 |
9 |
0 + 1 |
|
24/25 |
29 |
2 + 2 |
|
23/24 |
31 |
6 + 1 |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
||
However, at this point, he’s looking like an even bigger waste of time and money than the pitiful Ndong, with the number 24 only managing 320 minutes of forgettable league action to date, culminating in just one meagre assist and no goals.
However, there is no time like the present for Adingra to change his ongoing Sunderland narrative, with his ability to play down either channel making him a versatile presence Le Bris can latch onto, as his depleted side attempts to keep up their breakneck Premier League start, while AFCON kicks off.
If he were to get back to his frightening Brighton best, the likes of Talbi and Traore being out of action won’t feel as obvious.
But, on the flip side, if he can’t inspire himself back into form with more first-team chances coming his way, he will very much just be dismissed as a costly flop, like Ndong before him.
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