Pierre Ekwah has reacted to recent interest in his signature after netting his fourth goal for Sunderland.
Pierre Ekwah claimed his second goal in three games as Sunderland enjoyed a 3-1 win over Plymouth Argyle at the weekend.
The Frenchman had also scored against Stoke last month and is enjoying much better form after he was given some freedom in midfield by Michael Beale.
Ekwah joined the Black Cats in January 2023 and was sensational until he suffered an injury and hadn’t been quite the same since.
However, he is beginning to look back to his best and has recently been a staple in the middle of the park, alongside Dan Neil.
The 22-year-old’s breakthrough campaign on Wearside attracted late interest in the summer transfer window, but a departure never seemed to be on the cards.
However, it wasn’t long before Sunderland faced more competition to keep hold of Ekwah, with reports claiming that Crystal Palace, Fulham and Nottingham Forest all had interest in a January move.
Sunderland once again kept hold of the midfielder, but if the club fail to win promotion this term then he could be one of a number of stars who could be lured to the Premier League.
Despite interest, Ekwah has made it clear that he is happy at the Stadium of Light and believes it is the ‘perfect place’ for him as a youngster.
When asked whether Wearside is the best place for him, Ekwah told the Sunderland Echo: “Oh yeah, 100 per cent. Like I said the last time we spoke, I’m definitely happy here. For my development as a person and as a footballer it’s the perfect place. I’m really enjoying myself and you can see it out there that a lot of people are enjoying themselves, that’s for sure.”
Ekwah then went onto speak about Michael Beale and how he had pushed him further forward up the pitch.
“We were talking about my past and all this, about where I’ve been and things like that,” he said.
“When the new gaffer came in he introduced himself and at the same time we introduced ourselves to him. Knowing the background of everyone I think is great and he’s done a great gesture and I appreciate that.”
Can we get the best out of Pierre Ekwah?
Pierre Ekwah has had a bit of a rollercoaster of a journey at Sunderland, but there was no denying that he was one of the club’s best players prior to his injury earlier in the season.
The former West Ham man looks to be getting better by the day recently though and it is great that Michael Beale has quickly gathered how much better he looks when he isn’t made to act as an anchor in midfield.
Ekwah and Dan Neil have been brilliant and it has really shown how much of a positive impact that has had on the team and our ability to push forward and create chances – something we had struggled with in recent months.
Ekwah still has years of potential to come and to lose him this summer would be a huge loss, while I don’t think we would develop quite as quickly if he jumped ship straight to the top flight just yet.