There has been a double signing for Sunderland, who’ve added defender Dayann Methalie (£4.5m) and midfielder Jules Ahoka (£4.5m) to their squad.
It’s been a quiet summer for the Black Cats, despite needing a bigger squad that can cope with their upcoming Europa League campaign.
Supporters will be hoping this sparks a late burst before the transfer window closes.
WHO IS METHALIE?
The Toulouse-born 20-year-old’s medical brought up back issues, but these were soon resolved, allowing the deal to be completed for potentially £25.6 million.
He’s a left-sided defender about to compete with Reinildo Mandava (£4.5m), though his sole senior season was actually as a wing-back.
Two goals and two assists helped Toulouse record a ninth-placed league finish and reach the French Cup semi-finals, yet those 30 appearances included 10 yellow cards.
“I’ll aim to bring all my qualities – I’m fast and I like to attack and defend.” – Dayann Methalie
Fast and technically good, Methalie averaged a low 5.39 defensive contribution (DefCon) actions per 90 in Ligue 1. But the France Under-21 international boasts an attacking threat, netting twice in four caps.
WHO IS AHOKA?
Signed for around £8.6 million, Ahoka is the same age as Methalie, but appeared only four times in his year at Royal Antwerp.
However, he impressed for DR Congo’s Under-20s during this summer’s prestigious Maurice Revello Tournament (previously known as the Toulon Tournament), then assisted for his Belgian club on Matchday 1.
A defensive midfielder, he looks good for DefCon – albeit from a tiny sample size – but is unlikely to play immediate first-team football because Sunderland already have Granit Xhaka (£5.5m), Noah Sadiki (£5.0m) and Habib Diarra (£5.5m).
One for the future.
ANY FPL POTENTIAL?
In truth, it’s the wrong time to buy Sunderland’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) assets. We’re already halfway through their appealing two openers, before a tricky-to-difficult run of five.
Additionally, this could be a tough season for a team that reached Europe quicker than anticipated. Their defensive output was good but, underneath the hood, Sunderland conceded the third-most attempts (540) and fifth-most shots on target (164).
Still, Methalie should oust Reinildo in the medium term and is cheaper than Nordi Mukiele (£5.5m), Dan Ballard (£5.0m) and Omar Alderete (£5.0m).
One to reassess when Sunderland’s fixtures improve.
Above: Sunderland’s fixture difficulty mapped over the season, via our toolkit page
