Xhaka and ‘unbelievable’ star – Which Sunderland players could make debuts vs West Ham
Sunderland have had a huge turnover of players in the summer window.
In just five days, Sunderland return to the Stadium of Light to face West Ham, in their first Premier League encounter since 2017.
Ten new arrivals have already checked in, with Omar Alderete set to become the 11th after a deal was agreed with Getafe.
Regis Le Bris faces a series of dilemmas when it comes to picking his starting 11, with several debuts guaranteed on Wearside.
Granit Xhaka and Robin Roefs nailed on to start vs West Ham
Out of those 10 new arrivals, Granit Xhaka and Robin Roefs are comfortably the most likely to start against the Irons.
Xhaka is going to be a crucial player for the Black Cats, while Roefs has already impressed in pre-season with an “unbelievable” performance against Augsburg.
Anthony Patterson may be forced to watch from the bench, while Xhaka could displace Dan Neil from the starting 11 for the majority of the season, provided he stays fit.
However, several others are anticipated to make their full debut against Graham Potter’s side.
Le Bris to hand out seven full debuts vs West Ham
Arthur Masuaku and Marc Guiu are the two most recent acquisitions, though neither are expected to be involved from the off against the Irons, given the lack of sharpness in their game.
Enzo Le Fee started in the defeat against Vallecano at the weekend, showing the fact that he may not be in Le Bris’ plans to start against the Hammers.
With that said, fans can expect to see several new faces take to the pitch at the Stadium of Light.
- Granit Xhaka – Almost definitely
- Robin Roefs – Almost definitely
- Simon Adingra – Almost definitely
- Reinildo – Very likely
- Habib Diarra – Very likely
- Noah Sadiki – Likely
- Chemsdine Talbi – Likely
- Enzo Le Fee – Unlikely
Sunderland are far from done with their transfer business, either, with several more signings expected before the deadline on 1 September.
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