One Sunderland man now ranks as the Championship’s second-worst player after a series of terrible cameos.
The 2023/24 season is one many Black Cats fans can’t wait to be over. After early hopes of promotion to the Premier League, these were soon dashed in 2024 after a terrible run of form.
There are multiple factors to Sunderland’s decline. From the appointment and sacking of Michael Beale to the terrible injury record to the first team, little has gone right at the Stadium of Light.
However, another big factor that cannot be overlooked is the performance of many of the Black Cats players.
Their poor performances saw the club recently go on a seven-match winless run as well as pick up a massive 5-1 defeat at home to Blackburn.
Now, one Sunderland man has stood out as being particularly poor this season as he ranks as the second-worst player in the division.
Luis Semedo is the Championship’s second-worst player
Luis Semedo has had little luck since he joined the Black Cats in the summer from Benfica. The 20-year-old was believed to have plenty of potential upon signing for the club. However, few signs have been shown since.
The forward is yet to find the net in all competitions with a number of poor performances costing the youngster.
Last month, it was suggested that Semedo wouldn’t given any more chances in the first-team after he once again failed to find the net against QPR.
Now, it seems as if all these performances have piled up with WhoScored ranking him as the second-worst player in the Championship.
Semedo currently has an average rating of 6.11 from the 21 appearances he has made in the division. Only Sheffield Wednesday’s Ashley Fletcher has a worst average rating at 6.07, another striker who is also goalless this campaign.
While many of Semedo’s appearances have come off the bench, he clearly has done little to impress.
In recent weeks, the Portuguese man has shown signs of improvement, hitting a 6.45 rating against both QPR and Norwich. However, this still isn’t good enough.
There’s still time for Luis Semedo at Sunderland
While this season clearly isn’t going to work out for Semedo, there is still time for the youngster to play a part in Sunderland’s first-team
The attacker signed a five-year deal when he joined the club in the summer meaning that he is surely going to be at the Black Cats for at least the next few years.
However, whoever Sunderland appoints as their new manager in the summer will be vital for Semedo’s long-term future.
The new boss may be able to unlock Semedo’s potential at the club or the Portuguese youngster may just end up being sent out on loan.
Luckily for Semedo, he has plenty of time to prove many of the Sunderland faithful wrong. Hopefully, in the coming seasons, he can finally reach the heights he was always meant to hit.