Sunderland named 'frontrunners' to sign West Ham youngster

Are Sunderland set for a second raid on the West Ham academy?

Sunderland have been linked with a move for West Ham midfielder Pierre Ekwah, with the Frenchman supposedly recommended by Aji Alese.

Ekwah, 20, has some pedigree behind him having been a part of the renowned Chelsea academy before joining the Hammers in June 2021 for an undisclosed fee.

However, he has apparently failed to develop at the pace West Ham hoped he would, and the West Ham Way podcast have claimed Sunderland are one of the ‘frontrunners’ to sign him this month on a permanent deal along with MK Dons.

Ekwah has played 10 games for West Ham under-21’s this season, scoring four goals. He is a tall, physical player who likes to get on the ball too, which is something many fans would say the Sunderland midfield currently lacks.

Sunderland allowed Jay Matete to move to Plymouth for the remainder of the season, prompting Tony Mowbray to admit they are on the look-out for a new player for that position.

"We do need a central midfielder I think, just to bring that competition,” Mowbray said. “It's a position we're looking at but I'm not sure how well on we are on with it right now.”

Sunderland face Swansea in the Championship on Saturday and Mowbray is likely to have a full compliment of central midfielder available with Dan Neil, Corry Evans, Abdoullah Ba and Edouard Michut all vying for a start. 

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