'Very technical, tall and quick' - Aji Alese gives Sunderland signing Pierre Ekwah glowing report

Aji Alese knows Pierre Ekwah very well from their days together at West Ham, and he has given some insight on what kind of a player Sunderland have signed.

Aji Alese says Sunderland have signed a ‘very technical tall quick player’ in former West Ham teammate Pierre Ekwah.

Ekwah followed Alese to Sunderland this month, signing a four-and-a-half year deal for no initial transfer fee.

He is a player that will be unknown to most as he is yet to make his first-team breakthrough, but Alese has only good things to say about his quality.

Speaking to safc.com, Alese said of his relationship with Ekwah: “It was only the one season, but we got on well on and off the pitch.

"I played left-side centre-half in the U23 team and he played left-side central midfield, so we combined a lot.

“We had a great relationship as teammates, and it’s something that hopefully we can continue up here.

"As a player I would say Pierre’s very technical, but also strong off the ball as an athlete – tall, quick, and can move well.

“Athleticism is a part of the game which keeps getting bigger and more important, so those attributes he has can definitely help us.”

Ekwah revealed Alese played a key role in his decision to join Sunderland after he had seen how much the defender had thrived since moving to the north east.

Sunderland AFC

He also said Alese personally recommended the club to him, even before there were any transfer talks.

"I suppose that’s the next step in Pierre’s career now, to break in and play in a first team," Alese said.

“It’s the same reason I joined in the summer – the young squad with a lot of potential, the philosophy of the club – we want to bring in and develop young players, which we’ve seen this season. Here will definitely be a good place for Pierre to showcase his talents.”

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