Timothee Pembele reveals why he opted to leave Sunderland on loan
Timothee Pembele joined Ligue 1 side Le Havre on loan in the summer because he was “fed up” with his time at Sunderland which saw limited game time.
Pembele arrived on Wearside with high hopes but things quickly turned sour with limited minutes his loan move last summer.
The Frenchman is one of several to have arrived from the country in recent seasons with Abdoullah Ba also being snubbed on Wearside this season
As quoted by Sunderland Echo (17 December), Pembele said: “I really didn’t think that HAC would come looking for me. I was in second division in England, I wasn’t playing, and I thought I’d go back to Ligue 2.
“When my agent told me that Le Havre were interested in me, I said straight out, ‘Let’s go. I didn’t look to see where I stood in the pecking order, I just said to myself, I’m going, I’m fighting, and we’ll see what happens.
“I played one match with the reserves (at Sunderland). In England, I played quite a few games with the reserves, and I was fed up with playing with younger players. But the coach explained to me that I had to play 90 minutes to get into a rhythm. After that, it was one thing after another.”
Timothee Pembele unlikely to play again for Sunderland
Given the circumstances around his loan exit, his willingness to come back to Wearside and fight for a place in the starting XI is certainly up for debate.
Trai Hume has made the right-back position his own and with Jenson Seelt and Niall Huggins both capable of playing there, his impact seems unlikely.
Pembele sparked a lot of excitement when he signed having made a name for himself in French football at a young age while playing for PSG but he never seemed suited for English football throughout the appearances he did make.
All signs point towards a permanent exit in the summer if any suitors make a sufficient approach and he could be joined by several other players who have failed to stake a claim in English football.
Jewison Bennette, Adil Aouchiche and Ba are just three other players who could leave the club between now and next summer if an acceptable offer is received.
In other Sunderland news, Amad Diallo’s success at Man Utd could spell good news for the Black Cats.
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