Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris at the Stadium of Light (Image: Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA Wire)
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris at the Stadium of Light (Image: Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA Wire)
BRIAN BROBBEY’S injury absence might have thrown the spotlight on Sunderland’s somewhat limited centre-forward options, but Regis Le Bris is adamant he does not wish the club has signed another attacker this summer.
With Eliezer Mayenda having been sold to Rennes at a relatively early stage of the summer window, Sunderland find themselves with an attacking unit comprised of Brobbey, Wilson Isidor and Juan Riquelme Angulo.
Isidor is an experienced campaigner who is set to step in to deputise for Brobbey against Brighton this afternoon, but Riquelme Angulo is a completely untried teenager who does not even speak English and has barely trained with Le Bris and the rest of the Black Cats’ first-team squad.
It can be argued that Sunderland would have benefited from the acquisition of another more experienced forward, especially given the way in which their playing schedule is about to crank up with seven games in the space of 22 days later this month, but Le Bris maintains he is more than satisfied with the resources currently at his disposal.
“I’m happy,” said the Sunderland boss. “I think we set a clear picture of this position with three strikers. I think Brian is in a really good place and has started the season really well. It is only a small injury so is not a problem.
“It’s true that we would like to have him perfectly fit, but we have Wilson, who is a really good striker with a different style of play. He is really competitive for the Premier League and showed his qualities last season.
“The third striker is always a bit of a different situation because if you don’t have game time, it’s hard to keep them involved. It’s always interesting to have a young player, with an underdog spirit, and I think Juan is exactly that profile. We are in our set-up and happy with it.”
READ MORE:
Regis Le Bris tells Chemsdine Talbi who to emulate to break back into Sunderland team
Brobbey boost for Sunderland - but major Ballard blow as injury timeframe revealed
Sunderland impact revealed as Granit Xhaka gets Swiss punishment for Covid offence
Isidor was Sunderland’s first-choice striker for much of the first half of last season, only really losing his place to Brobbey from mid-December onwards.
At the start of the summer, it looked as though the Haiti international might be moving on, but Le Bris quickly slammed the door on any suggestion of him leaving and proved his continued value by coming off the bench to score the winner in August’s home victory over Fulham. He has started both of Sunderland’s cup matches so far this season, but today’s outing against Brighton will be his first Premier League start of the campaign.
“He’s a bit different [to Brobbey] and I think it’s positive to have different kinds of players,” said Le Bris. “He likes exploiting the spaces in behind. He’s quick and he’s a good finisher as well.
“He’s a good striker. He knows the team, he knows the principles, he knows the game model. And he's really-well connected with the squad and the club, so it’s positive.”
Riquelme Angulo is at the opposite end of the experience scale, having joined Sunderland from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle on deadline day.
The 18-year-old’s arrival in England was delayed because of complications over his work visa, meaning he had barely trained with the Black Cats before heading back to South America for the recent international break.
He made his senior Ecuador debut and scored his first international goal in a 1-1 draw with Panama, and while Le Bris has not seen a lot of him at first hand, the teenager reminds his club boss of Everton forward Thierno Barry.
“We analysed many videos before signing him, but here in Sunderland we haven't worked with him much yet,” said Le Bris. “We'll see in the next month.
“I see him like Thierno Barry, more or less this kind of profile. Tall, mobile, quick. He’s a good finisher, not always clinical, but with the desire to score.
“He’s a hard worker. He has the profile of a modern striker. He’s young, but his profile is really good. He trained really well on Thursday morning. He's in a good place as a third striker, becoming the second for a period, which is good.”
Le Bris admits communicating with Riquelme Angulo has been a challenge because he does not speak English or French yet, a situation the club will be working hard to rectify in the next few months.
“It’s a bit unusual,” admitted Le bris. “The communication is not easy, but his face says he's happy. This is the most important thing. He runs, he’s happy to play football, he’s happy to connect with people even if he can’t speak with everyone [yet].
“That’s positive and he will learn quickly. The most important thing for a coach is the energy you feel from the players and with Juan, it’s positive.”