The winger opened up on his first Sunderland appearance, a near debut goal and what he plans to do with his match shirt
Jocelin Ta Bi has revealed he plans to frame his Sunderland debut shirt and hang it on the wall at home after marking a significant milestone in his young career.
The 21-year-old winger made his first appearance for the club in the FA Cup fourth-round victory over Oxford United, introduced as a second-half substitute with Régis Le Bris’ side holding a narrow lead. It was a moment Ta Bi had waited patiently for following his permanent arrival in the January transfer window and a subsequent spell working his way back from injury.
When his opportunity came, the Ivorian forward made an immediate impression. His direct running and pace injected energy into the contest and drew a strong response from the travelling Sunderland support at the Kassam Stadium. He almost crowned the afternoon with a goal, cutting inside and striking narrowly wide of the post in what would have been a dream start in red and white.
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“It felt good. I was excited to play my first game,” he said after the FA Cup clash against Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium. “It was good for me and it was good for the team because we won. I missed the goal for one chance but it’s okay. Those are things for me to work on.”
The winger also experienced his first taste of Sunderland’s travelling support, with more than 1,000 fans making the journey south. “The fans are very passionate. The supporters are very good. We felt the love from them,” the winger added post-match.
Having overcome injury setbacks to reach this point, Ta Bi will now hope his debut proves to be the first of many appearances in a Sunderland shirt. And he already knows what he will do with the one he wore at Oxford. “I will put the shirt in my apartment. I will frame it and put it on the wall.”
Speaking shortly after Ta Bi joined the club last month, Le Bris said: “He's a young winger with a specific profile. It's rare in this industry to find this explosiveness and skills to dribble and to have this courage and personality in one vs ones. He has this quality. Now we have to build his profile to get ready for the Premier League. You never know [how long it will take him to be ready]. Sometimes they can step up really quickly, but this is the identity of our club. We can't buy a full squad of experienced players like Granit or Nordi. We also have to build with young lads and give them opportunities and support them. I hope they will be strong players for us.”
Speaking after the deal was concluded, then-sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: “We’re delighted to reach an agreement for Jocelin to join Sunderland. A dynamic and explosive wide player who enjoys attacking duels, predominantly from the right side, he is a player with high potential, and we will integrate him patiently into our Club. We believe in the player, and we believe in our approach to developing talent, so we are looking forward to starting the journey with him, and I’m sure our supporters will also enjoy the attributes he brings to our team.”
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