Belgian side and Championship clubs prepare £168k bid as Sunderland weigh up exit for out-of-favour goalkeeper
Sint-Truiden are eyeing a move for Sunderland goalkeeper Blondy Nna Noukeu, who is considering a departure in search of game time.
According to their information, Sint-Truiden are closely monitoring the Cameroonian’s situation and are preparing an offer of around £168k to convince Sunderland to sell. Noukeu is currently valued at around £126k by Transfermarkt.
Sint-Truiden are not the only side interested, with several Championship clubs – including Derby County and Sheffield United – also keeping tabs on him. Noukeu previously spent time at Stoke City on a permanent deal before making the switch to Wearside. He made just four appearances for Sunderland’s reserve side last season and has yet to make a senior outing for the Black Cats.
Now he could be set for a return to Belgium, where he began his career with Royal Excel Mouscron, if talks between Sint-Truiden and Sunderland progress. The Black Cats appear unlikely to make life difficult given Noukeu’s situation, though the Belgian club are yet to formally open negotiations.
What did Régis Le Bris say after Sunderland vs West Ham?
Head coach Régis Le Bris hailed Sunderland’s players after their 3-0 victory over West Ham United but warned that humility and togetherness must remain central to their Premier League campaign.
The Black Cats returned to the top flight in style on Saturday, with second-half goals from Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard and Wilson Isidor sealing their first Premier League win in over eight years.
Le Bris was delighted with the way his players responded to half-time instructions after a challenging first half and praised their ability to execute the gameplan. He also revealed that captain Granit Xhaka addressed the squad post-match to stress the importance of staying united.
“I'm happy for the fans and the players and the club,” Le Bris said. “We had different phases of pre-season and we spoke about the layers we needed to add. It was obvious that it starts from the foundations – we showed that the team is working well.
He added: “They were hard to beat in a mid to low block. The first half was a bit more difficult but during the second half we felt we could get opportunities through regains in the middle and that we could score through counter attacks.
“We didn't change many important things at half time. We spoke a bit about their goalkeeper restarts and our high press, we went for man for man and they found two or three opportunities with long balls. So it was really important to be strong in duels. We made just two or three little decisions, and it made a difference.”
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Le Bris was also keen to highlight that Sunderland’s three goals came from players who were already at the club last season, despite a summer of heavy recruitment. “It's really important for two reasons, they showed they can step up [first and foremost],” he said.
“We'll see later, but today it was the case. And it's really important because they keep the identity of the club and the way we worked last season. We built this strength about togetherness, the way we work as a team. The players worked well as a team and they showed that again today.”
The Frenchman added that while the opening-day victory was a proud moment for everyone connected to the club, Sunderland would remain focused on the long campaign ahead.
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