Sunderland have now completed the loan signing of Roma midfielder Enzo Le Fee with a view to a permanent deal in the summer.
The Black Cats are obligated to buy Le Fee for €23 million (£19.23m) if they win promotion to the Premier League this season.
With the French midfielder lining up alongside the likes of Jobe Bellingham and compatriot Wilson Isidor, that certainly looks like a real possibility.
The Wearside club are in fourth position in the Championship table after 26 games, just three points behind league leaders Leeds United.
Sunderland AFC News spoke to Ligue 1 expert Robin Bairner about Le Fee’s career so far and what he will bring to Regis Le Bris’ team.
Enzo Le Fee’s rise to Ligue 1 stardom
Le Fee developed into one of the top midfielders in France during his time at Lorient – where he worked with Le Bris – and Rennes.
The 24-year-old ranked joint-fifth in key passes in the 2022/23 Ligue 1 campaign, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
“Le Fee came to prominence initially in Ligue 2 during the season that was aborted because of Covid,” Bairner, chief editor of FootballTransfers, explained.
“While he earned a regular spot at Lorient at that point, it was really over the next three seasons that he built his reputation, catching the eye in France’s top-flight for a technically focused team that played to his strengths.
“Le Fee proved he was ready for another step up in the 2022/23 campaign, leaving Lorient to join Rennes. The transition should have been relatively simple given the close proximity between the towns, yet the magic he showed with Les Merlus was never repeated.”
The Frenchman departed Rennes after just one season, joining Roma, who are now coached by Premier League-winning manager Claudio Ranieri.
Le Fee was deemed surplus to requirements by Ranieri and allowed to sign for Sunderland. This means he has now gone 18 months without playing his best football but if anyone can help him return to form, it’s Le Bris.
What are Enzo Le Fee’s best attributes?
Sunderland fans would probably be enthusiastic about Le Fee’s arrival regardless of his position or qualities – it’s not often the Black Cats attract players from Europa League clubs.
But it’s worth delving into what the former Lorient man will add to the already impressive midfield options in Le Bris’ squad.
“Le Fee is best known as an all-round central midfielder who is best used in a possession-based system,” Bairner said. “He likes to receive the ball in deep areas and feed it forward, acting as a hub to transition his team into attack.
“Although his defensive numbers in terms of tackles, blocks and even interceptions stack up well, this is not necessarily what he’s best at. He certainly does not shy away from this work, which will be essential to any success that he’s to have at Sunderland.”
This suggests that Le Fee will not play as a number six – where Dan Neil is currently thriving and Salis Abdul Samed is expected to feature when he returns from injury.
He will probably partner one of those two in a two-man midfield or form a midfield three alongside star player Jobe Bellingham.
Chris Rigg presents another unique option which will give Le Bris a selection dilemma that even some Premier League clubs would be envious of.
One reason for Sunderland fans to lower Enzo Le Fee expectations
Nobody wants to dampen the spirits of Sunderland supporters but perhaps they should lower their expectations of Le Fee, at least to begin with.
Bairner added: “On paper, this is a really exciting signing, but the Championship is a unique league and it may take Le Fee some time to get up to speed due to the relative sedateness of Serie A.
“Ligue 1, though, is a physical league in which players need to be strong, but the speed of the game is not the same as he’ll experience at Sunderland and that may take some getting used to.”
Now, Le Fee might be so good that he hits the ground running at the Stadium of Light and quashes any concerns, but he also might take some time to come good.
Albeit, whether immediately or in weeks to come, it would come as a real surprise if Le Fee does not assert himself as one of the top playmakers in the division.