Champion League
Sunderland Could Repeat Stewart Masterclass with 5ft 11 Gem
Sunderland’s seek for a brand new striker has gone continental because the Championship facet have reportedly focused a transfer for Sochaux striker Eliezer Mayenda.
What gamers have Sunderland signed this summer season?
The Black Cats had been fast off the mark in bringing in a quartet of gamers every aged 20 or below, as centre-backs Nectarios Triantis and Jenson Seelt, attacking midfielder Jobe Bellingham and striker Luis ‘Hemir’ Semedo all arrived last month.
Supervisor Tony Mowbray has made clear he is after another goalscorer forward of the brand new marketing campaign, although, having seen Amad Diallo return to guardian membership Manchester United, whereas Ross Stewart will not be fit enough for the beginning of the season.
That successfully leaves the untested Hemir, who didn’t play any minutes at senior level for Benfica, as Mowbray’s only real recognised centre-forward to start out towards Ipswich City on August 6.
The Wearside outfit were priced out of a move for Ellis Simms, who starred on mortgage on the Stadium of Mild within the first half of final season, and they’re additionally reported to have missed out on Rijeka’s Matija Frigan.
Nevertheless, French publication Foot Mercato suggests Sunderland are very interested in signing Mayenda, who made the breakthrough at Sochaux in Ligue 2 final season.
Who’s Sochaux striker Eliezer Mayenda?
Mayenda has been capped as soon as by Spain at U17 degree, however it’s in France he has realized his commerce. The 18-year-old got here by means of Sochaux’s academy and played 15 times within the French second tier final season, scoring as soon as.
That purpose return is fairly underwhelming on the face of it, but he only played 292 minutes – as per FBref – which is the equal of a bit of over three full matches.
Certainly, his purpose return of 0.31 every 90 minutes was bettered only by three Sunderland regulars within the Championship final season, although the teenage expertise’s pattern dimension is after all quite a bit smaller.
Whereas clearly a participant of excessive potential, discuss of Sunderland signing Mayenda could not precisely get supporters’ pulses racing.
Nevertheless, the identical was very a lot true when the Black Cats signed Stewart from Ross County in January 2021. The Scotsman was removed from a prolific scorer at that stage, having netted just 15 times in two-and-a-half seasons with the Staggies.
That return included simply two targets in 19 appearances within the first half of the 2020-21 Scottish Premiership season, and he would net only two times in 11 League One outings upon becoming a member of Sunderland.
However Stewart really kick-started his profession in 2021-22 when scoring 24 times in 46 games to fireplace Sunderland to Championship promotion. The 26-year-picked up from the place he left off final season by scoring 10 and aiding three in 13 video games, earlier than being struck down by a season-ending Achilles injury in January.
That team-high return of 0.86 goals or assists per 90 minutes – Simms was subsequent highest with 0.56, for perspective – might be robust for Stewart to match as soon as he’s again up and operating for Mowbray’s facet.
Mayenda additionally can’t be anticipated to attain and help at that price ought to he be part of, however Sunderland clearly see one thing within the 5 foot 11 teenager, who may nicely turn into the Black Cats’ newest switch success story.
