Enzo Le Fee: Sunderland exit implications would be bigger than expected
Enzo Le Fee has had a remarkable Premier League campaign for Sunderland, and he may have cemented his spot as their most important player.
Despite a valiant effort to turn the game on its head, Sunderland were on the wrong end of a 4-3 scoreline against Aston Villa on Sunday, though there were plenty of positives to take.
And perhaps the biggest one was the performance of Le Fee, who was yet again one of the best players on the pitch against Champions League-level opposition.
His assist for Wilson Isidor’s late equaliser took him to 10 goal involvements for this season, with nine having arrived in the Premier League.
But with exit rumours slowly starting to bubble, it cannot be underestimated just how crucial it will be to keep him on Wearside.
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Is Enzo Le Fee Sunderland’s most important player?
If you asked that question to 10 different people, there’s a good chance you would get at least five different answers, but one of them would be Le Fee.
The Frenchman has been the creative force behind everything the Black Cats have achieved in the final third, and his work rate off the ball has been just as influential.
| vs Aston Villa | Le Fee |
| Assists | 1 |
| Chances created | 3 |
| Tackles | 3 |
| Duels won | 6 |
| Accurate passes | 25 |
And it was the same against Aston Villa, when he created three chances, with two of them having been deemed as big chances.
Le Fee won three tackles against the Villans, having made a total of 12 defensive contributions, showcasing his importance off the ball just as much as on it.
But this wasn’t a one-off; this has been a theme of almost every one of his performances for Sunderland this season, and without him, they would be nowhere near where they find themselves with five games to go.
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Sunderland project will be put to the test this summer
Buying players cheaply, developing them and selling them for profit.
That is how Sunderland have forged their recent success, and will no doubt continue to do so for years to come as they look to bridge the gap from the top of the Premier League.
However, there will be times when selling a player can disrupt an entire way of playing, and Le Fee is that player, given the role he has played this season.
The Black Cats simply can’t afford to lose the Frenchman this summer, and any interest should come with a remarkably high transfer fee.
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