Rarely-seen Sunderland AFC star should be asking Regis Le Bris for January exit: View | OneFootball

There should be another player eyeing an exit from the Stadium of Light in the January transfer window

Heading into the 2024/25 season, there may have been some understandable nerves among those of a Sunderland persuasion.

The previous campaign had ended in extremely underwhelming circumstances for the Black Cats.

Following the ill-fated decision to replace Tony Mowbray with Michael Beale as manager in December 2023, the club spent the last few months of the campaign under the caretaker management of Mike Dodds.

As a result, Sunderland ended the season with just 16 points from their last 20 league games, which saw them finish 16th - just six points clear of the relegation zone.

After a long search for Beale's successor, Regis Le Bris was eventually appointed as manager on a three-year contract until the summer of 2027, having most recently departed Lorient in his home nation of France.

That may have been viewed as a gamble given his lack of experience in England, and his Lorient side's relegation from Ligue 1 last season.

So far though, things have gone just about as well as anyone at Sunderland could have hoped for at the start of the campaign.

Regis Le Bris has settled in well in England following Sunderland AFC appointment

With the exception of a defeat to Preston North End in the first round of the Carabao Cup, it has been a perfect start to the season for the Black Cats under their new manager.

In the Championship, Sunderland have claimed four wins from four games to sit top of the early standings.

That has included a 4-0 thrashing of Sheffield Wednesday, and a 1-0 win over one of this season's promotion favourites in the form of Burnley.

As a result, the mood around the Stadium of Light will undoubtedly have a much more positive feel, than it did just a few months ago.

However, it could be argued there will be at least one player at Sunderland who will have some personal frustrations about their situation.

One individual that may apply to, and who could therefore need to ask Le Bris about a loan move in the January transfer window, is Adil Aouchiche.

Sunderland midfielder Adil Aouchiche may need January transfer move to fulfil potential

Aouchiche joined Sunderland back in the summer of 2023, when he signed from Lorient for an undisclosed fee.

However, having completed that move, the attacking midfielder is yet to really nail down a place in the Black Cats' starting line-up.

Last season, while he did make 28 Championship appearances for the club, only 10 of those were as a starter, and he was also substituted on eight of those 10 starts.

That lack of consistency arguably did not help Aouchiche as he struggled to really get going, scoring just two league goals during his debut campaign with Sunderland.

Although he is now playing for a manager he is familiar with from his time at Lorient in the form of Le Bris, his fortunes are yet to improve this time around.

His only league outing has come as a late substitute in the win over Sheffield Wednesday, with his sole start coming in that cup defeat to PNE.

As a result, a January loan move away from Sunderland could make sense for Aouchiche, given that at the age of 22, many players are starting more regularly at his age.

Indeed, getting that game time would surely help his development, which would then give the Black Cats an advantage in terms of having a better to player use when he returns.

Their form so far without the him amid his limited game time suggests they could cope without the Frenchman while he is away.

Having signed a five-year contract when he joined back in the summer of 2023, Aouchiche's future at The Stadium of Light is also secure until the end of the 2027/28 season.

That ensures they would not need to be concerned about him departing on the cheap next summer, even if he does catch the eye while out on loan.

Meanwhile, having other first-team players such as Pierre Ekwah and Luis Semedo loaned out in the summer, Aouchiche should know that the club are willing to sanction such moves.

Given how it seems it could benefit both parties, that is something the attacking midfielder should surely be asking of Le Bris and Sunderland, in the lead-up to the January transfer window.