David Moyes once dubbed Sunderland’s new signing Arthur Masuaku ‘despicable’ – Here’s why
Sunderland have now agreed a deal to sign Arthur Masuaku on a free transfer, adding to their defensive options.
Regis Le Bris has recruited a lot of new players this summer, but is now willing to recruit older and more experienced stars to go with his crop of young talents.
Sunderland have strengthened a lot in midfield but less so in defence, with Reinildo the highest-profile signing in the back line.
Masuaku will arrive at Sunderland with plenty of Premier League experience with West Ham, and he has worked under a former Black Cats manager.
David Moyes has slammed Masuaku
David Moyes was far from successful at Sunderland, but enjoyed a productive two stints at West Ham, where he won the Europa Conference League.
Masuaku joined West Ham under Slaven Billic, but featured heavily under Moyes at one point, and it was not all plain sailing.
| Stat | Masuaku |
| Appearances | 69 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 4 |
In January 2018, Masuaku was sent off for spitting as West Ham were knocked out of the FA Cup by League One side Wigan, and Moyes fumed at the defender after.
- “It was despicable. I’ve not seen it from him. We like him, he’s a really good boy around the club… it is out of character,” Moyes stated.
- “He will deserve everything he gets and he’ll get something he deserves from us. It’s unacceptable.”
Moyes often used Masuaku as a wing-back and would go with other options in a back four as a result of his shaky defensive ability.
Masuaku made 69 appearances under Moyes, but did show some signs of improvement under him.
https://x.com/WestHam/status/1599388550813941760Masuaku’s evolution under Moyes
Masuaku was shaky defensively at times at West Ham, but Moyes did try and improve his positioning in order to tighten up the left side.
In April 2018, Moyes praised Masuaku’s improvement in this regard, and highlighted the positives he brings in attack.
- “We have missed the natural balance he brings, whether you see him as a left-back, a left wing-back or a left winger, he’s a little bit of all of them at different times in the game for us,” he stated after a victory over Southampton.
- “In a way, I think he has benefited from his time off, because we’ve used that time to practice his finishing, his crossing and he’s positionally a little bit better.”
Masuaku eventually left the Premier League three years ago, but after a few years at Besiktas in Turkey, he will now move to the Stadium of Light as a free agent and a more experienced head in the squad.
Sunderland fans will hope that he has matured since the spitting incident which had Moyes fuming, and that he can be a useful squad player to help them stay up.
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