Regis Le Bris will have more of a clear idea about what his main Sunderland team looks like after the XI fielded by the Frenchman last Tuesday night – largely consisting of reserve figures – lost 2-0 to Preston North End in the EFL Cup.
The Black Cats will aim to make it two wins from two when they’re back in Championship action this weekend though, as Danny Rohl’s impressive Sheffield Wednesday outfit come to town fresh off a 4-0 demolition job of a hopeless Plymouth Argyle side.
Romaine Mundle could struggle to worm his way into his manager’s good books for the clash with the Owls, however, having struggled to really set the second tier alight during his short spell with Sunderland to date, since joining from Standard Liege in January.
Mundle’s time at Sunderland
The former Tottenham Hotspur youngster hasn’t ever really settled into his new surroundings, with his role in the Sunderland first-team last season being mainly that of a bit-part player who would occasionally come off the bench.
Mundle only started five games in total in the Championship last campaign from the 11 appearances handed to him after his move from Belgium, with just one strike coming his way too when playing away at Southampton.
It wasn’t a great shock to see him on the bench for Le Bris’ first taste of competitive action as a manager, therefore, with the likes of Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts light years ahead of him in terms of second-tier experience, as the aforementioned Black Cats number 20 netted in Sunderland’s promising opening day victory away at Cardiff City.
For as long as Roberts is still on the books at the Stadium of Light, and with the new addition of Ian Poveda potentially hurting his standing in the rankings even more down the right, Mundle will find it increasingly more and more difficult to stake a claim for a first-team spot in the league, especially after also struggling to help his team beat Preston in the EFL Cup.
| Mundle’s numbers vs Preston | |
|---|---|
| Stat | Mundle |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Goals scored | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Touches | 54 |
| Accurate passes | 24/26 (92%) |
| Shots on goal | 2 |
| Key passes | 3 |
| Successful dribbles | 5/7 |
| Stats by Sofascore | |
Mundle did try his hardest to cut open the Lilywhites from down the right flank, with five successful dribbles during the 90 minutes at Deepdale, but it wasn’t enough for him to add to his slim tally of just one Sunderland goal contribution from 13 games.
Therefore, the ex-Spurs youth product could be moved on soon, especially when you consider his transfer valuation is more than Daniel Jebbison’s, as per Transfermarkt, who Sunderland fans had been crying out for before news emerged that the Le Bris and Co were ultimately unsuccessful in their advances of signing the striker.
Mundle’s worth at Sunderland
Despite struggling since moving back to England, the peak of Mundle’s transfer valuation – according to Football Transfers – stands at £1.5mAFF which is equal to Jebbison’s valuation.
Indeed, the attacker recently cost AFC Bournemouth £1.5m to snap up, with the Black Cats trying to prise the Cherries man away on a loan deal in a bid to finally land a new signing who can lead the line effectively.
Selling Mundle for around his £1.5m price tag could enable Sunderland to finally secure the services of a potent striker, having had to use Elezier Mayenda up top versus QPR on the opening day, who is still yet to break his senior goalscoring duck for the Black Cats.
As much as Mundle showed signs of some promise in the EFL Cup, losing the 21-year-old wouldn’t be catastrophic, owing to Sunderland’s options down the right in Roberts and new addition Poveda when he is back to full sharpness.
The experienced former Celtic man could be the way forward on the right flank, having shone alongside Clarke away at Cardiff with two key passes registered, as Sunderland continue to hunt down a flashy new striker to line up alongside the 27-year-old.
One of Mundle’s ex-youth teammates at Spurs in Dane Scarlett had even been previously lined up to make a move, but with the promising Premier League starlet opting to join Oxford United on loan over making the switch to Wearside putting a spanner in the works, Sunderland are seemingly back to square one over new striker additions.
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