The curious case of Sunderland's talented misfits
Today at 01:00 AM
As our squad has continued to evolve under Régis Le Bris, some skilful players have found themselves on the fringes, but what might the future hold for them?
Abdoullah Ba
It's quite remarkable to think that come the summer, it'll be three years since the Frenchman arrived at Sunderland as a burgeoning talent from Le Havre, but it now feels as though his future prospects at the Stadium of Light are less than promising.
Unveiled at half time alongside fellow young tyros Amad, Edouard Michut and Jewison Bennette (at the dawning of Sunderland's 'teens in jeans' era, you may recall) as we tackled Rotherham in Tony Mowbray's first game in charge, Ba spent his first season in red and white being shuffled from position to position before enjoying a stellar (statistically, at least) 2023/2024 season as Patrick Roberts struggled with injuries.
However, Régis Le Bris' arrival last summer seemed to throw Ba's future into doubt and he's seldom featured in the first team picture in recent months. It's quite an indictment, considering Roberts' dip in form during the winter and Ian Poveda's ongoing injury problems.
He clearly has plenty of ability but as we often saw during his extended run in the team last season, he's often scarily erratic and although Eliezer Mayenda has sometimes been criticised for an indisciplined attacking approach, he does seem to be refining it under the guidance of Le Bris — something that sadly can't be said of Ba.
Rumours of attitude issues and a lack of application seem to have followed Ba for quite some time, and although I may be in a minority by being steadfast in my belief that there is a talented player there, it feels as though a January loan followed by a permanent departure in the summer would be best for all parties.
Adil Aouchiche
The mercurial French playmaker is a firm favourite with sections of the Sunderland fanbase and his arrival in the summer of 2023 piqued the attention of many, as it felt like we'd added a dash of Gallic flair in the shape of a player who, as we've subsequently discovered, has the capacity to entertain and frustrate in equal measure.
Aouchiche's 2024/2025 campaign under his former boss at Lorient has been one of tremendous intrigue as he seldom got a look in during the early stages before injuries to Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson led to a reshuffle and the olive branch seemingly being extended by Le Bris.
A game-changing substitute appearance during our sluggish display against Bristol City and an industrious performance away at Stoke seemed to buy Aouchiche some credit, and there's no doubt that his ability could give us something extra in attack, but recent quotes from Le Bris seem to hint at a potential January exit.
I'm not as pessimistic about Aouchiche's prospects as Ba's, because it's fair to say that he'd be an asset for any team he plays for if utilised correctly, but if he does bid farewell to the club this month, there may well be a lingering sense of 'What if?'.
A difficult one to gauge.
Jewison Bennette
Yes, he's still a Sunderland player, and yet nobody seems to have the foggiest idea about the Costa Rica winger's current status at the Stadium of Light.
It feels like an age has passed since Bennette was catching the eye by taking the bus to matches, scoring cracking goals against Watford and Fulham, and pirouetting his way around multiple Southampton defenders before setting up that goal for Chris Rigg, but Sunderland circa 2025 is an altogether different animal and it's nigh on impossible to see how Bennette kickstarts his career on Wearside.
Had a summer loan move to Reading gone through instead of failing to materialise in mysterious circumstances, Bennette would've at least reaped the benefits of regular first team football in order to keep himself moving at a decent pace, which would've been much needed following his underwhelming spell in Cyprus.
As it is, he seems to be in a state of limbo, with his career in danger of drifting into mediocrity, which would be a sad tale for a player who was once hailed as a potential star of the future.
Nazariy Rusyn
Jobe aside, Sunderland's summer 2023 transfer window didn't exactly yield any real headline-grabbing signings but the Ukrainian attacker, who arrived at the Stadium of Light before being formally unveiled in memorable fashion at the foot of Penshaw Monument, probably came close to fitting that profile.
The pursuit of Rusyn unfolded over many months.
He arrived on the back of promising numbers and he did chip in with goals against Preston and away at Middlesbrough to help us salvage a draw at the Riverside, but he's also cut an isolated and unsettled figure for much of his Sunderland career and like Bennette, it's difficult to see Le Bris turning to him for a prolonged period of time, no matter what our on-field situation may be.
The shadow of the ongoing war that's engulfed his homeland may be playing a part in any personal struggle that he's enduring, and personally, I'm desperate for Rusyn to find himself in an environment where he can enjoy his football once again.
That certainly doesn't look to be the case at Sunderland, and it feels imperative that a swift solution is worked out.
