Sports
Sunderland keen on signing “the form player in the PL”
Sunderland hit the jackpot when they paid £13m to sign central midfielder Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer transfer window last year.
Just last month, Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony described the Switzerland international as one of the best signings in the club’s history.
It is hard to argue with the praise that the left-footed star has received because he has been an integral part of their success on the pitch, currently in ninth place in the Premier League after being promoted from the Championship via the play-offs.
The last six teams that came up to the top-flight were all instantly relegated, yet the Black Cats are on course for a top-half finish in their first year back in the big time.
Xhaka currently leads the team in ‘big chances’ created (seven) and assists (five), per FotMob, after hitting the ground running as a star who was already used to playing in the Premier League from his time with Arsenal.
Sunderland want to sign Premier League star
The Black Cats are now reportedly looking at a star who could be their best signing since they decided to bring the Swiss midfield enforcer to the Stadium of Light.
According to TEAMtalk, Sunderland are one of the clubs interested in a deal to sign Harry Wilson from Fulham in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that there are several teams eyeing up a move to sign the Wales international, whose contract with the Cottagers is due to expire in the summer, and he is keen to move back up north.
It adds that Sunderland, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, and Everton are all hoping to take advantage of his desire to move further north, having started his career at Liverpool, by snapping him up on a free transfer later this year.
Fulham are said to be interested in extending his stay at Craven Cottage beyond this summer, but Wilson looks set to provide the Black Cats with a huge opportunity to make a big signing if he opts to leave London in the summer.
Why Wilson would be Sunderland’s best signing since Xhaka
As aforementioned, Xhaka has been such an exceptional signing for Sunderland. This is, in part, because of his experience in the Premier League, as it allowed him to hit the ground running as a consistent performer.
The 33-year-old star had played 297 times during his spell with the Gunners, per Transfermarkt, and this meant that the Black Cats were almost signing guaranteed quality, as they already knew that he had the quality and physicality to perform in the division.
Wilson is a player who would come in with that same guarantee of quality because he has played 141 matches in his Premier League career to date, per the Premier League website, and delivered 26 goals and 14 assists in that.
His form in the top-flight in the current campaign, in particular, suggests that he would arrive at the Stadium of Light as a standout talent for Regis Le Bris, as he has scored seven goals and provided four assists on the wing for Fulham, per Sofascore.
Wilson was described as “the form player in the Premier League” by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley last month, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment because he has scored seven goals and provided five assists in all competitions for the Cottagers in his last 15 appearances.
|
25/26 PL |
Wilson |
Rank vs RWs |
|---|---|---|
|
xG |
3.82 |
Top 19% |
|
Goals |
7 |
Top 5% |
|
Shots on target |
16 |
Top 8% |
|
Chances created |
22 |
Top 24% |
|
Assists |
4 |
Top 9% |
|
Dribble success rate |
55% |
Top 19% |
As you can see in the table above, the Welsh forward ranks highly among his positional peers in a host of key attacking metrics over the entire season, which shows that he has been excellent on the whole, rather than just over the past month or so.
Meanwhile, no Sunderland player has scored more than four goals and only Xhaka, with five, has managed more than four assists in the Premier League this season, per WhoScored, which shows that Le Bris does not currently have many players who can deliver goals and assists on a regular basis.
In fact, no one in the squad has hit double figures for goal contributions in the Premier League, whilst Wilson is currently on 11 in 21 matches for Fulham this term.
This suggests that the Welshman would be the best attacker in the squad, given he has already proven his quality in the division, and could slot straight into the side as an instant star, just as Xhaka did, making him the club’s best signing since Xhaka if they can bring him to the club.
Sunderland pursuing deal for “constant threat” who’s better than Fatawu
Sunderland are eyeing up a move to sign a star who would be an even better addition than Abdul Fatawu.
It is now down to the Black Cats to convince Wilson to make the switch to the Stadium of Light, whether that is in the summer or in a cut-price deal this month.
