Should Sunderland consider selling Pierre Ekwah next month? Absolutely not

“Ekwah has been in a spell of poor form, but his display against Hull was promising – he’ll definitely get back to his best in red and white,” says Phil West.

This time of year is when the rumors begin to fly and the typical set of “ITK” journalists grin broadly at the thought of being able to give football fans a good time as the January transfer window approaches and elite teams pull out their chequebooks.

 

Although Burnley is still reportedly top of the queue, Jack Clarke has been the subject of our transfer rumors up until

now. However, midfielder Pierre Ekwah is ‘rumoured to have appeared on the

radars’ of Premier League clubs after spending less than a year on Wearside.

 

First, it’s hardly shocking if Ekwah is genuinely attracting the attention of the elite.

He’s a player with a lot of talent and a high ceiling who has battled a little since

returning from a dead leg, but when he’s on his game, he’s a very influential presence in the Sunderland engine room.

 

Is he good enough for the first flight at the moment? Most likely not. Could he be

in the end? Yes, which is why West Ham supporters were understandably

outraged and annoyed by his departure given that their former academy

graduate had made a good impact upon moving from London to Wearside.

In recent weeks, Ekwah, for whatever reason, hasn’t looked like the smiling,

upbeat presence in Sunderland’s squad that we know and love. Whether it was brought about by Tony Mowbray’s

departure or his own dip in form, he’s often seemed troubled on the pitch, with

his head down and his confidence seemingly low.

 

However, the idea that ‘if someone offers us X amount of money for Ekwah, we should sell’ is far too casual a mindset in

my opinion, and to tell the truth, I’m bored of the long-running theme of

certain players being highlighted as ripe for a transfer, either on loan or

permanently, when they have a run of below-par performances.

 

In 2023, it’s the Sunderland way to show faith with these lads even as they experience ups and downs in form.

 

OK, we might’ve leaned too slightly far towards unwavering faith in Abdoullah

Ba in recent weeks, but confidence is key for young players and the feeling that

they have something to contribute is infinitely more positive than leaving

them out in the cold and unsure as to what they need to do to get back into the squad.

 

Had Ekwah been dropped from the team after conceding a late penalty against the Tigers last season, his Sunderland career

might’ve followed a very different trajectory. Thankfully he wasn’t, for

which Mowbray deserved great credit, and the idea that we should be willing to

bid him farewell next month is nonsensical.

 

It’s fair to say that he still has some way to go before he recaptures the form he

was showing in the early months of the season, but any progress is good progress

and the last two fixtures have been a real contrast.

Ekwah’s performance against Hull was a much-needed step in the right direction

following the disastrous loss to Coventry on Saturday, in which he was largely to blame for the second goal we gave up.

 

He was more determined, more upbeat, and he focused on doing the fundamentals well. In addition, he

appeared more concentrated, motivated, and ready to make up for what was

clearly a lifeless performance over the weekend.

 

This was the kind of performance that would have given Ekwah hope following the disheartening defeat to the Sky Blues

and sent a message to new head coach Michael Beale. The Tigers are no

pushovers, especially in their own backyard.

Looking ahead to how he can continue to influence games, the next two of which are certainly winnable, it’s fair to say

that Ekwah isn’t the kind of defensively-minded midfielder that’s going to be one

of the bedrocks of a promotion-winning campaign.

 

Unless Beale can coax something extra out of him or reshape his entire

approach to football, he won’t thunder into tackles, empty the tank in a

defensive effort or set out to put the frighteners on the opposition from the start of games.

 

That’s simply not his skillset and January will almost certainly see us dip into the

transfer market for a genuinely game breaking CDM to cover off a weakness

that the absence of Corry Evans has often highlighted.

But Beale has to recognize that Ekwah has some important skills, like drive, passing range, and a willingness to move

forward whenever feasible. If he can capitalize on those, Ekwah will be a

valuable asset for the rest of the campaign.

 

Ekwah shouldn’t be one of the players who depart Wearside next month, in my

opinion—mostly on loan rather than permanently.

 

The situation may change in a year or two once he’s gotten more experience

and, hopefully, participated in a campaign that won a promotion, but for

the time being, the Stadium of Light is the best place for him.