One Sunderland loanee has been severely struggling since Regis Le Bris made him surplus to requirements.
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has helped to sanction several loans this season after he made it clear that he was looking to use a slimline squad.
Because of this, several players that were in-and-around the squad in the bitterly disappointing 2023/24 season were made surplus to requirements.
This includes three players that were shipped out on loan to France, with Pierre Ekwah notably moving to St Etienne, whilst Timothee Pembele joined Le Havre. This January also saw Abdoullah Ba move on in a loan move to Ligue 2 outfit Dunkerque.
Despite being handed the move to hopefully improve his fortunes and hopefully get some minutes and goals under his belt, it hasn’t quite gone to plan for the Sunderland winger.
Sunderland attacker Abdoullah Ba struggles on loan with French side Dunkerque
Ba was moved on loan to Dunkerque in January, having shown very little with the Sunderland U21 side.
It is clear that Le Bris and Kristjaan Speakman sanctioned the move in the hope that he will return to his best, and that he still has a future on Wearside, but that could now be in jeopardy.
The Sunderland attacker has notched just two minutes of action so far for Dunkerque, coming in his first game for the French outfit. The last two Dunkerque games have seen Ba excluded from the squad entirely.
Something has gone wrong as there were plenty of hopes on Dunkerque’s side that a deal would be highly beneficial for both sides. Dunkerque chief and notably former Newcastle United striker Demba Ba, per iNews said when initially signing his namesake, Ba: “I decided to bring him on board because he’s better than the level of French second division. We’re going to work on the mental aspect, the emotional aspect to get him back on track.”
Abdoullah Ba struggles with ‘mental aspect’ could be key behind difficulties
Ba started the 2024/25 season with a frustrating showing vs Preston North End, and wasn’t seen in the first-team since.
For a player to be exiled in such a manner, there must be much more going on than the player not quite hitting the heights in regards to performances.
The fact that Dunkerque’s chief, Ba, highlighted potential ‘mental’ struggles for the Sunderland winger suggests some truth in this being a difficulty for the 21-year-old.
Ba ‘offered very little’ in a Sunderland U21 game before the January transfer window, showing that he wasn’t quite giving 100%, either in training or matches, and this could very well be the case during his current spell at Dunkerque.