Toxic environment’ – Sunderland promotion hero left regretting summer transfer
Sunderland made a number of impressive signings during the summer transfer window.
The Black Cats practically built a brand new team, spending just under £170m on 15 new players, including some real coups such as the initial £13m capture of Granit Xhaka and the addition of Lutsharel Geertruida on loan from RB Leipzig.
However, the final signing of the summer for Sunderland – Bertrand Traore – has now been questioned by Dutch media.
Freek Jansen suggests Bertrand Traore was a panic buy for Sunderland
After Chelsea recalled Marc Guiu from his loan following an injury to Liam Delap, Sunderland turned to Amsterdam, signing Brian Brobbey in an initial £17.3m move from Ajax.
During those discussions, Ajax also managed to sell Traore to Sunderland in a £2.6m deal, a player who has previously impressed in the Premier League with Aston Villa.
However, Dutch journalist Freek Jansen has now questioned this signing when writing for Voetbalpraat.
He wrote: “They were working on Brobbey, which was already a race against the clock. Full throttle, because at (7pm) that evening the market closed in England. But Sunderland was also looking for a number ten and a winger. Ajax said that Traore was available, and that happened very quickly. They quickly called Traore and his agent.
“Sunderland probably checked Transfermarkt and saw that Traore had scored against PSV last year. They thought ‘gotcha’ and that was quickly finalised too. So, in one day, €20m (£17.3m) plus €5m (£4.3m) for Brobbey and €3m (£2.6m) for Traore, and the salaries.”
On paper, the Burkina Faso international appeared to enjoy an impressive 2024/25 campaign, scoring ten goals and providing eight assists in 49 appearances across all competitions.
However, Jansen seems to be suggesting that the numbers flatter Traore, and he is not actually as talented as the figures make him look.
Little to lose for Sunderland
Even if Traore did struggle to impress at Ajax last season, this £2.6m signing could prove to be a stroke of genius for Sunderland.
As aforesaid, the 30-year-old boasts Premier League experience, making 65 appearances and scoring 11 goals, and for just £2.6m it was a deal worth doing with little time to scour the market properly.
For what it’s worth, Crystal Palace also took Borna Sosa from Ajax for just £2m this summer, so Premier League clubs are clearly seeing some value in signing those who are struggling to dazzle at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
