This past weekend, Sunderland defeated West Bromwich Albion on the road, and the team was relieved to see youthful sensation Pierre Ekwah emerge as the game’s star goal scorer in the narrow 1-0 triumph.

Although the Black Cats benefited greatly from the hosts being relegated to 10 men, Mike Dodds’ squad’s victory over Carlos Corberan’s playoff-chasing team on their home field would have been encouraging nonetheless.

The deal to bring the former West Ham United kid into the building last year was a great one, as the aforementioned Ekwah stood out in the close victory in the West Midlands among other raw stars like Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg.

The tenure of Pierre Ekwah at Sunderland

Ekwah was a relative unknown in the men’s game when he came at the Stadium of Light in 2023. Prior to his significant promotion to Wearside, he had only played youth football with the Hammers.

Even in the face of adversity, the French midfield player has continued to make significant contributions to the Black Cats squad this season and has never looked back since entering the building.

Ekwah scored his fifth goal in the league from 37 games with a beautifully struck half-volley at the Hawthorns. He also picked up two assists to go along with his increasing number of goals.

Nevertheless, his efforts away from winning the match would have thrilled Sunderland supporters even more. He finished the close match having won four duels and misplaced just five of his 34 passes for the day.

This is true even though Neil is a well-established member of the starting lineup at the Stadium of Light, having made 42 league appearances this season at the age of 22, just like Ekwah.

Ekwah’s value surpasses that of Daniel Ballard, another dependable first-team player. Although Ballard, a former Arsenal player, entered the game with a lower £4.3 million value, he performed admirably against the Baggies, winning eight courageous duels.

If the league above does decide to make a bid in the summer, Sunderland will only hope that Ekwah isn’t surprised by their interest. They want to keep him around for a push for promotion the following season after a less-than-ideal campaign this time around.

In the event that he does go, Sunderland may at least find some comfort in the knowledge that they should be able to recoup a sizable portion of their investment in Ekwah after making a wise gamble on the hitherto untested young player.

GET MORE NEWS HERE