Championship expert names the ‘insane’ move Sunderland made which could have major impact on ‘remarkable’ promotion race

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Sunderland are seemingly on the cusp of something special this season, with promotion in their sights, and they may just have the edge over their Championship rivals now.

It goes without saying that Sunderland have had a terrific season under Regis Le Bris, with the Black Cats still keeping pace with the powerhouses at the top of the Championship table.

With 16 games to go, Sunderland are just five points off Leeds United at the summit, and they still have to play Daniel Farke’s side, too. With an unbeaten home record in their pocket, too, the Mackems have every chance of pulling off an unlikely promotion this year.

If they do, we can surely point to one moment in particular that has given them the impetus needed to go all the way, and it’s all down to one Sunderland signing during the January transfer window.

• READ MORE: One Sunderland transfer target made huge mistake rejecting the Black Cats, he’s not right for Championship rivals

Enzo Le Fee is the best signing of the January transfer window

With the winter window now closed, Second Tier podcast host, Ryan Dilks, took on the challenge of rating the ten best Championship signings of the last month.

Rather unsurprisingly, Dilks named Sunderland’s own Enzo Le Fee as the top acquisition made by any club in the division, and suggested the Frenchman could well be the difference between the Black Cats going up or missing out on promotion.

Dilks said: “He’s one of the most high-profile signings in Championship history. Just six months earlier, he was one of the most sought-after players in Europe after an exceptional season with Rennes. He struggled at Roma and needed a move away, and somehow, Sunderland got him.

“Regis Le Bris played a big role in his development at Lorient. Still, though, for him to come to the Championship is insane. To even have the obligation to buy if they get promoted is also mad. He did have a bit of a slow start, but that’s understandable given the amount of minutes he’s played this season.”

And, Dilks added, Le Fee has only just started to hint at what he is capable of, with that match-winning performance against Middlesbrough on Monday night.

“If that’s a sign of things to come, then god help us,” Dilks said. “This signing gives Sunderland the star quality they need to match the other teams in the promotion race. Enzo Le Fee could be the key to Sunderland going all the way in this remarkable season.”

Dilks also cited Wilson Isidor’s £5m move to Sunderland as a “great bit of business” and highlighted the Frenchman as one of the “standout forwards” in the league this year.

• READ MORE: Wilson Isidor shares ‘amazing’ reason behind ‘easy’ decision to join Sunderland permanently

Can Enzo Le Fee carry Sunderland to promotion?

Put simply, yes, Enzo Le Fee could well be the deciding factor in Sunderland’s promotion push; he is that good.

People in the game have been drooling over Le Fee this week after his stunning display versus Middlesbrough, with the media describing him as ‘Sunderland’s Zidane’, and Don Goodman admitting he loves watching the playmaker at work.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	30	18	9	3	60	19	41	63
2	BurnleyBurnley	31	16	13	2	37	9	28	61
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	30	19	6	5	41	21	20	61
4	SunderlandSunderland	30	16	10	4	45	26	19	58
5	BlackburnBlackburn	31	13	6	12	35	31	4	45
6	West BromWest Brom	30	10	14	6	39	27	12	44

Indeed, Alan Nixon has stated both Le Fee and Isidor are ‘match-winners’ who can produce the goods when Sunderland need it most, as they proved on Monday night. With those two in the team, there’s no limit to what the Black Cats can achieve this season.

Now, let’s just hope they do go up, so that we can enjoy watching Le Fee tear it up in the top flight, too.