Ahmed Abdullahi: Forgotten Sunderland star’s future examined
Ahmed Abdullahi has yet to make his debut for Sunderland, despite joining nearly two years ago.
The summer of 2024 brought plenty of change for the Black Cats, with plenty of focus on the recruitment that ended up playing a crucial role in their promotion back to the Premier League.
Among the players who made the move to the Stadium of Light was Abdullahi, who joined with a big reputation despite having had very little exposure to senior football.
Injuries prevented his immediate breakthrough, and that has been the case since, with the 21-year-old almost two years into his Sunderland career without a single senior appearance.
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Ahmed Abdullahi’s Under-21 stats showcase his strength
Even at youth level, minutes have been very rare for Abdullahi, and again, injuries have played quite a significant role in that.
The Nigerian has played just seven times for Sunderland’s Under-21 side, but with 10 goals in that period, his finishing ability has been on show.
| Premier League 2 25-26 | Abdullahi |
| Appearances | 3 |
| Minutes | 190 |
| Goals per 90 | 1.89 |
| Duels won per 90 | 8.53 |
| Dribbles completed per 90 | 3.79 |
Four of them have come in the current campaign, and from just five shots on target, despite having played just 190 minutes of Premier League 2 football.
His record means that he is averaging a goal every 47 minutes, which is quite remarkable at any level.
His 50 per cent duel win rate, matched by his 61.5 per cent dribble success rate, showcases how strong he is on the ball, with the latter being a stat that is bettered by just 14.4 per cent of forwards in the league.
Abdullahi has proven that he is a handful for defenders, which was the general consensus of his game when we had a small glimpse of him in pre-season.
But his ability to progress will be halted if the right call isn’t made this summer.
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What’s next for Abdullahi?
Sunderland seemed to be close to sanctioning a loan exit for Abdullahi both in the summer window and the winter window, with several Turkish clubs having shown an interest in him, but those deals fell through.
However, if they are to ever get the best out of the striker, those attempts need to be successful this summer to get him the exposure to senior football.
Despite limited minutes, Abdullahi has shown that he is far too good to be playing academy-level football, and a loan move to the EFL should, and may well be, the next step for his development.
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