footballfancast.com

Sunderland exploring move to sign "unplayable" £30m star, he'd be Le Bris' own Amad - opinion

After eight seasons outside the luxuries of the Premier League, it's fair to say Sunderland returned with a bang against West Ham United.

The first half played out as a tense 0-0 affair, before the Black Cats then suddenly burst into life as Eliezer Mayenda, Daniel Ballard, and Wilson Isidor all found the back of the net in quick succession to hand Regis Le Bris' underdogs a glorious 3-0 win.

Daniel-Ballard

Off the back of such an impressive victory, Sunderland find themselves just below top spot in the Premier League on goal difference, owing to Manchester City's slightly more emphatic 4-0 success.

The aim will be to continue to put wins on the board to ensure a heartbreaking relegation doesn't happen, with more signings looking to be in the pipeline, too, in order to help matters on the pitch.

Sunderland explore move for £30m star

Sunderland really have been one of the big spenders in the Premier League this summer, despite their newly promoted status.

£141.5m has been splashed out in total on 12 brand new signings, with the Black Cats adding former Bayer Leverkusen right-back Nordi Mukele to their camp just after the resounding triumph over the Hammers for £9.5m.

bayer-leverkusen-nordi-mukiele-bundesliga

More cash could soon be spent on landing Getafe attacker Christantus Uche, with both Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers also keen on the Nigerian forward, on top of Le Bris' outfit further taking a fancy to this new £30m target to upgrade their options up top.

Indeed, it had been reported that Sunderland had lodged a £27m bid for Leicester City star Abdul Fatawu. An update from BBC Sport confirms that the Wearside club is exploring a possible move for the standout Foxes winger, but a move may well prove to be tricky to get over the line, owing to his pricey valuation, which is now allegedly closer to £30m.

Fatawu-Leicester-Coady

That means any move for the Ghanaian to join the Stadium of Light ranks would match their record transfer fee for Habib Diarra.

It could well be deemed a gamble worth exploring, with a potential here for Sunderland to pick up their next Amad Diallo if Fatawu goes on to be as tricky and effective as the Ivorian was all those years ago donning the famous red and white stripes.

How Fatawu could be Sunderland's next Amad

Amad would never get to grace the Stadium of Light turf in the Premier League.

Instead, he proved to be a dangerous spark throughout his loan stint in the Championship for the Wearside outfit, with Sunderland fans still possessing a fondness for the slick 23-year-old two years on from his explosive stint at the club.

Man-Utd-Premier-League-Amad

14 goals and four assists would fall into Amad's lap from 42 memorable appearances for the Black Cats, with his game then taken to that next level back at parent employers Manchester United, leaving him with a healthy haul of 14 goals and 12 assists for the Red Devils from 65 outings.

Fatawu will hope he can become as established in the Premier League if a move to Sunderland does manage to get off the ground, having already been dubbed "unplayable" for his heroics in the EFL by scout Jacek Kulig.

Fatawu for Leicester (23/24)

Stat - per 90 mins*

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

Big chances missed

Big chances created

Total duels won*

Stats by Sofascore

During Leicester's title-winning exploits under Enzo Maresca, Fatawu would routinely light up the Championship - in a similar rampaging fashion to Amad on Wearside - with the right-sided winger accumulating a ridiculous 19 goal contributions from 40 clashes.

Staggeringly, 32 big chances would also be created from those contests, with the 21-year-old always on the front foot, wanting to make openings happen, much like his fellow left-footer Amad always looked to dazzle and please supporters when situated at Sunderland.

The next big stride Fatawu will have to make is translating this jaw-dropping Championship form over to the Premier League regularly, having managed to amass two assists at the level last campaign, before a cruciate ligament nightmare took over.

Sunderland might well be the best place for him to explode into life even more, based on their gung-ho performance against the Hammers, with the opportunity there for him to emerge as the next exciting young talent on the right flank, in the mould of Amad before him.

Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu

Moreover, their glittering track record with up-and-coming gems coming good is also in their favour here, as another major buy looks to be completed by the ambitious, top-flight newcomers in the nick of time.

Read full news in source page