All of Sunderland’s focus right now will be on Saturday’s Championship playoff final as one of football’s most nerve-wracking finals is only a matter of days away.
But, beyond the high-stakes affair at Wembley, the Black Cats will also be contemplating what signings they can make during the summer transfer window, with their potential bumped up status as a Premier League club allowing to make some big purchases, away from sticking it out in the EFL.
Still, as was showcased in the surprise loan capture of Enzo Le Fee, Regis Le Bris’ men do have the pulling power to attract some statement buys to the Stadium of Light even when in the second tier, with another notable addition from France looking to be on the horizon.
Sunderland moving for Le Fee 2.0
Obviously, Sunderland fans will be praying their high-flying side do win promotion, with Premier League football returning to Wearside very much boosting their chances of keeping the likes of Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg around for longer.
Another added bonus will also be the calibre of star they can tempt in through the door as recently relegated Montpellier centre-back Modibo Sagnan begins to be linked with a switch to England away from the now Ligue 2 outfit.
A recent report from French outlet Midi Libre – as has been relayed by Sports Witness – has suggested that the Black Cats are a lone suitor currently looking at Sagnan, although Daniel Farke’s newly promoted Leeds United have been noted in the past as being interested in the 6 foot 2 defender’s services.
Sunderland will hope they hold an advantage in any race that could ensue considering how well their swoop of Le Fee has gone down, with the Mali international having the potential to be their next iteration of the Lorient-born ace if he also acclimatises to his new surroundings with ease.
How Sagnan could be Sunderland’s next Le Fee
Before exploring deeper how Sagnan could be a great fit in Le Bris’ camp when making the move across from France, it’s only fair to look at how uncomplicated Le Fee has made his own transition to English football look.
Indeed, even whilst competing in the complicated lottery that is the Championship playoffs, the 25-year-old ace has continued to put in confident and assured performances, with his defence-splitting assist in the first leg versus Coventry City getting his promotion-chasing team up and running on their travels.
Black Cats supporters will be hoping their team can strike gold in a similar manner to Le Fee when utilising the French market again, with Sagnan’s glowing Ligue 1 numbers this campaign suggesting he should be able to settle in swimmingly to his fresh Stadium of Light location.
Of course, there will be concerns over the move considering the 26-year-old is still very raw off a relegation, but his numbers point in the direction that he wasn’t solely responsible for Montpellier’s demise. Rather, he might well actually be one rare positive defensively.
After all, during large portions of his celebrated Lorient stay, Le Fee would regularly battle it out towards the bottom end of the top French division.
Therefore, Sagnan could come in and be as impactful as his 25-year-old counterpart, with the table above showing off a defender that would be unafraid to get stuck in for his new employers in either the Championship or Premier League, on top of also being assured to enough to play out from the back whatever league they were in.
Once heralded as “fantastic” by ex-Everton boss Ronald Koeman, time will only tell if this deal would go on to be as successful as Le Fee’s.
But, with Sunderland needing more defensive bodies very soon owing to Chris Mepham only being around on a loan basis, securing Magnan’s services could end up being a worthwhile swoop irrespective of any lofty comparisons.
