“If we want to attract young, ambitious and talented players, this is the tradeoff we need to accept”
It’s a mark of the huge impact they’ve made and their popularity with the fans that Sunday’s Wear-Tyne derby felt a tad bittersweet as we were treated to the sight of Sunderland’s AFCON-eligible players turning in yet another exceptionally gutsy performance before they bade a temporary farewell to Wearside in order to represent their countries in Morocco.
Beating Newcastle United at home in front of a packed house before jetting off in the hope of winning silverware at Africa’s biggest footballing jamboree? Not the worst note on which to temporarily sign off!
Of course, when we added these lads to the ranks in the summer, we did so in the hope that we’d possibly signed some previously undiscovered or overlooked gems — but in the knowledge that we’d have to deal with plenty of international absences during the 2025/2026 season.
That was the balance we had to strike — not least to ensure we brought players to Wearside who could build on what we achieved in 2024/2025 and to give ourselves the best possible chance of being competitive in the Premier League. Running the risk of paying the dreaded “English tax”? No thanks. We widened the scope of our search for talent, tapped into new markets and came up trumps.
However, for Reinildo, Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi, Arthur Masuaku, Bertrand Traoré and club record signing Habib Diarra — somewhat controversially called up by Senegal after a lengthy injury layoff — signing off with a victory over Newcastle could hardly have been a more fitting note.
Will we miss them? Of course — even though we’ve got along just fine in the absence of midfield powerhouse Diarra — but I can’t deny the sense of pride I feel at having so many Sunderland players considered among the best their countries have to offer, and it’ll be a real boon for the club as they compete for victory at AFCON.
If we want to attract young, ambitious and talented players, this is the tradeoff we need to accept.
Is it worth it? Absolutely.
Every one of these lads has contributed significantly in their own way — a ringing endorsement of the standard of Sunderland’s summer recruitment and the way in which they’ve acquitted themselves since signing. They’ve evidently won the trust of Régis Le Bris through their application, ability and sheer will to win, and they’re clearly fully invested in what’s taking shape at Sunderland.
Only Masuaku hasn’t really made a huge impact, yet former Atlético Madrid left back Reinildo is making a strong case for being one of the Stadium of Light era’s shrewdest free transfers.
Talbi is an immensely exciting talent; Traoré is a wily and industrious winger and Sadiki and Diarra — along with Granit Xhaka — formed what was a hugely promising midfield trio before Diarra was struck by injury, so it’s natural that we’ll be poorer for their absence and required to adapt.
However, despite this mass exodus of talent, there’ll be no panic from Le Bris or the coaching staff.
We’ve known for some time that AFCON absences would represent one of our major challenges and we certainly won’t be heading into this period unprepared and unsure as to what to do. With the January transfer window not far off, two avenues will converge: that of phasing new recruits into the side and eventually welcoming back the lads from Morocco, which will hopefully enable us to mount a strong push during the latter half of the season.
In practical terms, this may mean that the likes of Chris Rigg, Dennis Cirkin, Romaine Mundle, Dan Neil and 2024 AFCON winner Simon Adingra — overlooked by the Cote D’Ivoire for this tournament yet a hugely talented player nonetheless — find themselves back in the fold during the coming weeks, with all kinds of speculation about potential system changes and the like.
I do believe that even in the absence of the players mentioned, we have enough strength in depth to cope.
It may mean the possibility of one or two unorthodox positional changes for the players who remain — Lutsharel Geertruida is someone I’m particularly eager to see more of — as well as a change of shape for the team as a whole, but so strong is our team spirit and the collective desire to win, there’ll be no question of their willingness to slot in where needed. That’s a basic requirement and would be for any player attempting to make a push for a first team berth.
This season, we’ve seen Trai Hume and Dan Ballard striding through games for Northern Ireland. Robin Roefs is very firmly in the mix with the Netherlands, and we’ve also seen Omar Alderete dishing out his own brand of vigilante justice when Paraguay took on the United States. Now it’s time for our “Super Six” to take centre stage and with any luck, they’ll be blessed and reign down in Africa.
Good luck, boys. Go well, represent your countries with pride, passion and commitment, and we’ll be ready to welcome you back once it’s over — hopefully for what’ll be a memorable second half of the 2025/2026 season!
Category: General Sports
