Sunderland journalist Michael Graham has explained that judgement must be held over one struggling player, and he’s right.
Sunderland currently find themselves 4th in the Championship, with their play-off fate almost certainly confirmed.
It has been a brilliant 2024/25 Championship campaign under Regis Le Bris in his debut campaign with the Black Cats, and much of this came down to the stark improvement in recruitment in comparison to last season.
With the likes of Wilson Isidor and Chris Mepham coming through the door in the summer, further bolstered by Enzo Le Fee’s arrival in the January window, Sunderland have been much more prepared this season to challenge for success, but inevitably, some signings haven’t quite kicked on to the same extent.
One summer arrival with just six games to his name, notably hasn’t thrived on Wearside, but journalist Michael Graham doesn’t believe he should be fully judged as of yet.
Sunderland journalist Michael Graham believes Ian Poveda shouldn’t be fully judged yet
Sunderland signed Ian Poveda this summer, with the Colombian sat as a free agent after being released by Leeds United. He had endured a positive half-a-season with Sheffield Wednesday on loan, but ultimately his spell was cut short due to injury.
Much of that rings true with his Sunderland career thus far, with injuries severely hampering him to just six games for the Black Cats, all of which have been from off-the-bench.
Nonetheless, journalist Michael Graham believes that full judgement shouldn’t be placed upon Poveda quite yet, as he wrote on X: “If people are going to judge the financial outlay over the full duration of his contract, they have to also consider his full contribution over the full duration of his contract. All we can say now is that he hasn’t contributed yet.”
Poveda is on a reported £9,000 p/w wage at Sunderland, which sits higher than the amount that Luke O’Nien, Dan Neil and Romaine Mundle earn.
Ian Poveda can still turn around Black Cats career
Whilst the signs currently look bleak for Poveda, who is undergoing injury issues that he has been plagued with this season, there should not be reason to hit the panic button just yet.
Le Bris is clearly a fan of the Colombian international suggesting earlier on in the season that ‘we have many opportunities with him’ when referencing Poveda’s versatility.
The Sunderland winger, in previous stints with Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday, has shown his brilliant talent, and there is no doubt that that opportunity will arrive for him on Wearside, it will just require patience for him to get back up to speed.