Even in an era of technical directors and recruitment experts, head coaches – take Regis Le Bris in the Sunderland hotseat, for instance – usually still retain a sense of control over who stays and who goes.
It emerged recently that it was Le Bris who blocked Cesar Huerta’s Sunderland switch.
Experts based on the other side of the Atlantic claim that the Pumas UNAM winger was supposed to join Liverpool before spending the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Sunderland.
Regis Le Bris put pay to that, however, maybe feeling that the Black Cats already had enough forwards and widemen.
Across the Channel, meanwhile, it remains to be seen what the departure of Olivier Dall’Oglio from St Etienne means for Pierre Ekwah’s hopes of securing a permanent switch to the Ligue 1 outfit.
Pierre Ekwah’s Sunderland future takes a twist at St Etienne
Sunderland loanee Ekwah is open to staying in France. He admitted as much in a very honest interview with Le Progres recently, admitting that he immediately felt ready to commit himself ‘for a long time’ to the St Etienne cause when arriving on a temporary basis back in August.
But as Dall’Oglio paid the price for a third successive Ligue 1 defeat – St Etienne slipped into the relegation zone after losing 2-1 at Toulouse – things might have suddenly become a little bit more complicated for Ekwah.
Le Bris, after rubber-stamping the deal which took Ekwah to Geoffroy Guichard Stadium on a loan-to-buy deal reportedly worth £6 million, expressed his delight that the West Ham academy graduate would be honing his talents under a man the Sunderland boss knows very well.
“We played together at Stade Rennais,” Le Bris told reporters. “I was a young player then and he was one of the leaders of the team. I like Olivier and I’m pleased that he managed to get Les Verts back into the top flight.
“Olivier must like Pierre’s profile. He likes good footballers and good ball-carryers. We’ll see how it all comes together.”
Ekwah must impress Eirik Horneland if he gets Ligue 1 gig
Well, from an individual perspective, things came together pretty well as far as Ekwah is concerned. He started all 12 of Dall’Oglio’s final dozen games in charge. Assuming St Etienne had the funds to stump up the £6 million required, Ekwah’s hopes of a permanent stay looked pretty high with Dall’Oglio in the dugout.
Instead, his future may now lie in the hands of Eirik Horneland.
Horneland, L’Equipe say, is a leading candidate to replace Dall’Oglio. The former Rosenborg coach is currently out of work, but retains an impressive reputation in Scandinavia. He guided SK Brann to the Norwegian title in 2022 while winning the country’s Manager of the Year award.
As Total Football Analysis put it, Horneland had Brann playing in an ‘intense, aggressive, high-pressing’ approach. Whether Ekwah can adapt, then, could be the deciding factor in whether that £6 million deal happens or not.
Ekwah can be a little languid at times. At least, compared to the dynamism of Jobe Bellingham, Dan Neil and Chris Rigg; Sunderland’s go-to midfield trio under Le Bris.
St Etienne, meanwhile, are not the sort of club renowned for splashing the cash. Since 2018, they have only signed two players who will cost in excess of the £6 million required for Ekwah.
First impressions count, too, especially when a new manager arrives. The next few weeks may therefore be some of the most important in Pierre Ekwah’s young career.