Sunderland look set to bring in a new midfielder before Friday’s deadline.
A midfielder hadn’t been on the list of the Black Cats’ priorities, but a potential exit for Pierre Ekwah has left it in their best interest.
The Frenchman has already been linked with Udinese and Saint-Etienne, while it has been reported that Sunderland have demanded between £5-£5.9m for his signature.
It now looks like Ekwah could be on his way out permanently though, with yesterday’s reports claiming that Sunderland have opened talks with Lens over a loan move for Salis Abdul Samed.
The Black Cats are yet to receive a response about their offer, but will be eager to complete a deal before tomorrow night.
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Salis Abdul Samed
Samed began his youth career with JMG Academy in Ghana, before moving to their academy in Ivory Coast.
He went onto join French club Clermont in 2019 and helped them earn promotion into Ligue 1, making 44 appearances for the senior team.
Samed caught the eye of Lens in the summer of 2022 and went onto pen a five-year contract in a €5m (£4.2m).
The midfielder was part of a squad that massively overachieved in his first season – reaching the Coupe de France quarter-finals, as well as finishing just one point behind Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and earning a place in the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
At the end of the season, he was named as the ‘central midfielder of the year’ by Get French Football News, while he was also nominated as Ligue 1’s best African player, but was beaten by Chancel Mbemba.
Samed’s form earned him his first call-up to the Ghana national team in November 2022. He has since racked up 19 caps and made three appearances in the World Cup.
The 24-year-old signed a new contract last summer but has fallen out of favour this season following Will Still’s arrival, failing to make an appearance this term.
Interest elsewhere in Samed
Samed has previously been linked with a couple of Premier League clubs.
Corriere dello Sport reported that Leicester were interested in the Ghanian in November 2022, just months after he arrived in Lens.
A full campaign with the French outfit led to TEAMtalk reporting that Aston Villa were considering signing Samed to replace Douglas Luiz a year later, and he could well have been playing top flight football if the Brazilian had left for Arsenal.
Samed didn’t make quite as much of an impact in the 2023/24 season though and is now mainly a target for Ligue 1 clubs.
L’Equipe claimed that Sunderland could beat Brest and Nantes to his signing, while Foot Mercato reported that Saint-Etienne were keen – most likely prior to their focus on Ekwah.
Samed player profile
- Full name: Salis Abdul Samed
- Age: 24
- Height: 5 ft 10 (1.79 m)
- Nationality: Ghanian
- Place of birth: Accra, Ghana
- Position: Defensive midfielder
- Club: Lens
Samed to Sunderland analysis
Sunderland fans have been demanding a new defensive midfielder since Corry Evans suffered a long-term injury in January 2023, while Dan Neil has mostly occupied that role this season.
Ekwah was expected to take up that position when he arrived, but it was quickly realised that he was much better further up field, before his form dropped off completely.
Bringing in a midfielder like Samed could add so much more balance to the team, but it will be difficult to break down the current crop.
The Wearsider’s midfield has been brilliant this term, but it would be surprising if the Lens man was going to join just to sit on the bench.
Regis Le Bris may be keen on him from his time in Ligue 1 though, so it will be interesting to see how he handles him if he does move to the Stadium of Light.