Sunderland summer signing looks past it already – Regis Le Bris has to drop him vs Chelsea
Sunderland made a staggering total of 15 signings in the summer.
In a bid to stay in the Premier League, Sunderland spent over £150m on players to aid Regis Le Bris.
Many have performed well, with Nordi Mukiele impressing against Wolves, and Enzo Le Fee’s permanent signing seeming like a success.
Sunderland’s goalkeeper Robin Roefs has been incredible and tops European stats, but one man in particular has failed to convince after his last couple of starts.
Regis Le Bris needs to drop Bertrand Traore
When Bertrand Traore signed for Sunderland, it seemed a smart move that added Premier League experience to a fairly young squad that lacked any.
Traore has been gifted a healthy amount of minutes in Sunderland’s last three Premier League games, and despite the Black Cats picking up six points from nine, the winger hasn’t helped his team at all.
| Match | Minutes | Rating |
| Nottingham Forest vs Sunderland | 31 | 6.5 |
| Manchester United vs Sunderland | 58 | 6.8 |
| Sunderland vs Wolves | 63 | 6.4 |
Traore was hooked after an hour in Sunderland’s 2-0 win against Wolves, as his replacement, Chemsdine Talbi, was crucial for the Mackems’ second goal.
His three games for Sunderland so far have proved that his lack of ability outweighs his Premier League experience, as Traore needs to be dropped by Le Bris against Chelsea.
The Blues are in good form coming into the game, and play at an extremely fast pace and intensity.
Traore lost the ball seven times against Wolves, and this could prove costly against a team like Chelsea.
Two glaringly obvious Sunderland players should be in line to start over Traore in the right-wing spot against Chelsea on Saturday.
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Chemsdine Talbi and Simon Adingra could start vs Chelsea
Talbi was great for Sunderland against Wolves, and will likely start for the Black Cats against Chelsea, but that could be on either flank.
Should Le Bris choose to play Talbi on the left, he should opt for Adingra to play on the right-hand side for Sunderland, as the Ivorian’s pace could be a key outlet in the game.
Sunderland will be up against it against Chelsea, and a point would undoubtedly be seen as a good result at Stamford Bridge, but the Mackems and Le Bris simply cannot afford to miss out on points because of poor performers like Traore.
The Black Cats want to stay in the Premier League, so that means difficult decisions will need to be made, starting with Traore.
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