Sunderland announced some very promising player news on Friday morning.
It’s not a great time for Sunderland right now.
The Black Cats are currently slumped in 12th place of the Championship table and could plummet further in the final weeks of the season.
In fact, Sunderland could even find themselves fighting for survival with eight games of the season left, and just nine points between themselves and the bottom three.
But relegation feels unlikely.
Sunderland remain a club with huge potential both on and off the pitch and on Friday, another one of their young stars committed their future to the club.
Aji Alese signs new Sunderland deal
Aji Alese has signed a new contract with Sunderland, extending his stay until the summer of 2027.
He was originally out of contract next year, but the former West Ham man now has security of a long-term future at the Stadium of Light.
And it comes despite a long-term injury for Alese who’s featured just twice in the Championship this season, though he’s thought to be in line for a return after this month’s international break.
Reacting to the news of Alese’s new deal, journalist Michael Graham posted on X:
Show of faith will attract top players
Alese’s new deal is a huge credit to both the player and the club.
Despite barely playing all season, both the club and indeed Sunderland fans know how good he is when fit and firing.
He’s a very versatile defender who can fit in across the back-line and if he was fit right now, he’d surely be very much in Mike Dodds‘ thinking for a starting spot.
And Dodds and the coaches would’ve seen enough in training and his recovery to put him forward for a new deal, so this all looks very promising for Alese who’ll want to play a big role next season.
What’s more, this is very similar to the situation with Corry Evans last year; Evans was out of contract and sidelined with a long-term knee injury, though Sunderland gave him the security of another year to aid with his recovery.
This kind of loyalty towards players shows that Sunderland care about their players and staff and it could go a long way in tempting more players to the club in years to come.
In a game that has rapidly become a business, all about money and numbers, Sunderland are still showing their human side which could make them stand out in the search for players going forward.
The Black Cats return to action vs Cardiff City after the international break and hopefully we’ll see Alese make his return in the coming weeks.