Among the various deals Sunderland completed during the January transfer window, Adil Aouchiche moved on, albeit temporarily, for a spell with Portsmouth.
Sunderland had a fairly successful transfer window, with new players arriving in key areas, and a number of fringe players exiting the club to get valuable game time elsewhere.
Adil Aouchiche was one of those players, in spite of actually getting relatively decent minutes under his belt in the last few months.
Sunderland fans criticised the move at the time, suggesting Aouchiche still had a role to play this season, but things have turned out well for the player so far, at least.
Portsmouth fans are ‘falling in love’ with Adil Aouchiche already
Aouchiche played 18 minutes as a substitute on his debut for Portsmouth at the weekend in a 2-1 defeat to Championship promotion candidates, Sheffield United.
However, his impact in the 2-1 win over Cardiff City on Tuesday night has been hyped up by Portsmouth fans, who liked what they saw of the winger in his 23-minute cameo.
One fan took to Twitter/X to comment on Aouchiche, writing: “He wears gloves and long sleeves, and is a massive s—house. I may be falling in love with a loan player yet again.”
Another said, “Adil Aouchiche, you, my friend, are very tidy,” while his performance was described as “gorgeous to watch.”
Predicting what’s still to come from the Sunderland ace, one Pompey fan said: “Aouchiche will be fun to watch for the rest of the season.”
Aouchiche did miss one big chance, but supporters praised him for “tremendous work” and suggested he has now made a case for a starting spot from here on out.
Another fan claimed “Aouchiche looked the business,” but also joked that he should take off his gloves. Perhaps the biggest compliment of the night, though, was one supporter describing Aouchiche as Portsmouth’s own version of Adel Taarabt.
Loan spell could make Adil Aouchiche important for Sunderland next season
Thankfully, Aouchiche’s loan move is all part of the plan for Sunderland, with Kristjaan Speakman admitting the 22-year-old has worked hard, but needs more experience to get to his best levels.
If he can push on now at Portsmouth and finish the season on a strong note, there’s every chance he returns to Sunderland in the summer and has a much bigger role to play.
He’s been at the club a while now, but Aouchiche started to show glimpses of what he is capable of under Regis Le Bris before his loan deal was arranged.
Hopefully, we get to see more of him next season, as he offers something different to the current roster of wingers at the club. Plus, if Tommy Watson moves on as expected, the Black Cats will need a ready-made replacement, and they have the ideal man for the job in Aouchiche already.