Alan Browne raves over teammate who brings ‘wow factor’ to Sunderland
Premier League football could return to the Stadium of Light after Sunderland secured their spot in the Championship play-offs with a 0-0 draw at Norwich City on Tuesday night.
With a nine-point deficit to second-place Burnley, automatic promotion looks a long shot for the Black Cats despite a favourable run-in.
The return of key players throughout April, including January’s star signing Enzo Le Fèe, is a huge factor in their promotion push.
Le Fèe’s impact at Sunderland has been huge
Le Fèe continued his comeback from injury with his second appearance as a second-half substitute in a week, coming on for the final 20 minutes at Carrow Road, following on from his first-team return in the victory over West Brom on 5 April.
Alan Browne, who signed from Preston North End on a free transfer in July 2024, says Le Fèe will be really important for Sunderland between now and the end of the season.
“As soon as he comes on, you can see his little touches, his confidence on the ball is something that a lot of teams don’t have,” Browne said, as quoted by the Sunderland Echo.
“He’s right up there. You can see that. He’s got that wow factor. He obviously had his setback as well, but now he’s in a position to build minutes.”
Le Fèe signed on an initial loan deal from Roma, having only joined for the Serie A side from Rennes in July 2024.
The former France Under-21s international made an early impact at the Stadium of Light, scoring in a 2-0 win over Luton Town, before his six-week spell on the sidelines.
Doing what Amad couldn’t?
As many fans say, never fall in love with a loan player. In 2022, Amad Diallo signed from Manchester United on loan for the season, and the Ivorian transformed the Black Cats into nearly securing back-to-back promotions to the Premier League.
Amad scored 14 goals during his loan spell, as well as picking up the SkyBet Championship Player of the Month award for December and Sunderland’s BLC Supporters’ Young Player of the Year award.
However, he ultimately couldn’t quite get the club over the line, losing to eventual play-off winners Luton in the semi-finals.
According to reports, Le Fèe’s loan reportedly has an obligation to buy if Sunderland secures promotion.
With a play-off spot secured with five games remaining, the supporters can fall in love with him even longer if the Frenchman can help them back to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.