Sunderland fans liked what they saw from Enzo Le Fee on his debut against Burnley on Friday night, but the new signing might not stick around for long.
Regis Le Bris helped Sunderland pull off one of the most exciting signings in Championship history when he lured his former player, Enzo Le Fee, to Wearside earlier this month.
The Black Cats’ boss threw the Frenchman straight into the starting lineup this week for the 0-0 draw with promotion rivals Burnley, and fans were mighty impressed by Le Fee.
But, Sunderland supporters would do well not to get attached to the 24-year-old, as he’s still a Roma player, and may well go back to the Italian club come the summer.
Claudio Ranieri will retire at the end of the season – Enzo Le Fee could start anew at Roma
Le Fee made a £19m move to Roma just last summer, but had struggled to get regular game time under his belt at the Stadio Olimpico, especially since the arrival of Claudio Ranieri as his new manager there.
Playing regularly is all Le Fee wants right now after a difficult start to life in Italy, and he is sure to get plenty of minutes under Le Bris in the second half of this campaign.
But, as per Roma Press (via Twitter/X), Ranieri will be stepping down and retiring from football at the end of the season, and that could well open a new door for Le Fee at his parent club.
Ranieri has spoken of Le Fee’s ‘misfortune’ at Roma, admitting he never got the chance to give the player a real chance. However, whoever takes over from Ranieri could well see things differently, and want to make Le Fee a key part of the Roma project for next season.
While Le Fee was keen to join Sunderland, there is no doubt that if he can make a success of himself at Roma, he would jump at that chance.
Sunderland would have no hope of keeping Le Fee if they don’t get promoted
Of course, a massive factor in determining Le Fee’s future will be how the rest of the season plays out for Sunderland; namely, what division they end up playing in next year.
If Sunderland can win promotion from the Championship this season, they will trigger the purchase obligation clause on Le Fee, worth a reported £19.23m.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 27 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 38 | 17 | 21 | 55 |
| 2 |  LeedsLeeds | 26 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 48 | 19 | 29 | 53 |
| 3 |  BurnleyBurnley | 27 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 31 | 9 | 22 | 53 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 27 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 39 | 22 | 17 | 51 |
| 5 |  BlackburnBlackburn | 27 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 31 | 24 | 7 | 42 |
| 6 |  West BromWest Brom | 27 | 9 | 14 | 4 | 33 | 22 | 11 | 41 |
Make it to the Premier League, and Le Fee would be relishing the challenge at Sunderland. Fail, though, and the midfielder will certainly consider his options, as he is frankly well above the standard level of a Championship player, and deserves to play at the very top.
Le Fee will surely feel like he has unfinished business at Roma, with something to prove there, but Sunderland fans will be hoping that, by the end of the season, he’s fallen in love with life at the Stadium of Light and forgotten all about his Italian dream.