Sunderland man who earns double Hume’s wages could be given the boot

Sunderland will have to think about ditching this high earner soon.

Last Saturday at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland’s Black Cats fell short of Luke Williams’ Swans 2-1, so failing to kick off interim manager Mike Dodds’ reign with a bang.

 

Several important first-team players let the Wearside squad down in the close loss; Dan Neil, a dependable central

midfield presence, won just one match all afternoon in a quiet performance.

However, Dodds’ starting lineup on the football field isn’t the only thing causing Sunderland problems; the high-earner is currently eroding the Black Cats while they wait in the wings.

 

With a salary more than twice that of Trai Hume, this unimportant employee

at Sunderland may soon be intentionally removed to make room for greater pay.

Timothee Pembele’s wage at Sunderland

Timothee Pembele finds himself on a handsome £7.5k per week pay packet

with Sunderland, despite barely making an impression on the senior ranks since joining last year from Paris St. Germain.

Since leaving Paris, the 21-year-old sensation has only made five first-team appearances for the Black Cats. In the meantime, Pembele has made more of an impact at the U21 level for the Championship club, picking up two assists in the Premier League 2 after being brought in to play there.

However, it is reasonable to argue that Pembele’s pay is somewhat inflated

when you consider the other salary earners in the Sunderland camp.

The Black Cats’ number six had his final taste of professional football on Valentine’s Day against Huddersfield Town. He only emerged victorious from one of his four ground duels that day, and Sunderland lost 1-0 on the road against the Terriers.

His meager playing time has decreased even further as a result of this lackluster cameo off the bench, and Dodds must now decide whether to give Pembele additional playing time with the first squad or let him play for the U21s.

Pembele’s outrageous salary may be somewhat justified by giving him more

time to settle into the senior lineup and develop, but Trai Hume’s position at

right-back is guaranteed due to Leo Hjelde’s January arrival, so it may be

difficult for the former PSG full-back to ever make a significant impact.

Pembele’s wage compared to the Sunderland squad

Amazingly, even though Hume is yet to miss a game this season for Sunderland

in the league, the Northern Irish star comes in on a lower wage than Pembele according to Capology.

especially while the Frenchman makes over twice as much money as Hume does

each week—£7.5k—he yet makes a pitiful £3k while Hume plays a solid role for

Sunderland throughout the campaign, especially in difficult circumstances.

In an attempt to give his team more grit at St Andrew’s, the 21-year-old even excelled in a recent 2-1 loss to Birmingham City, which resulted in Michael Beale’s dismissal. He completed eight tackles and eight ground duels.

Sunderland’s top earners
Player	Weekly wage
#1 Jack Clarke	£17k
#2 Bradley Dack	£15k
#3 Dan Ballard	£15k
#4 Patrick Roberts	£12.5k
#5 Dennis Cirkin	£10k
Data via Capology.

Pembele’s salary is also more than that of players like Jobe Bellingham and Pierre Ekwah, who play a key midfield role for the Black Cats and have made a combined 65 first-team appearances this season, earning £6.5k and £3k a week, respectively.

 

Due to the evident background that accompanied the 21-year-old’s signing—he left Ligue 1 powerhouse PSG—his pay is obviously considerably greater than it has to be.

While it might be too soon to rule out the Frenchman’s future at the lower-division club, it might be wise to let Pembele go as soon as possible to avoid having such a big earner on the sidelines, especially when several important first-team players make less than the reserve sum.