Sunderland tease debut timeline for deadline day signing | OneFootball

Going into the international break, Sunderland sent a massive statement to the rest of the Championship by obliterating Southampton at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats, who had picked up just four points from their first four league fixtures before their meeting with the Saints, were absolutely dominant and won 5-0 against Russell Martin's side in a result which should give them confidence for the next block of fixtures.

As expected, Sunderland were busy in the transfer market this past summer, with the majority of their 11 new signings being young prospects who will be expected to immediately make an impact in the first-team over the course of the 2023-24 season.

There was the odd experienced addition such as Bradley Dack, who reunited with Tony Mowbray following their long stint together at Blackburn Rovers, whilst Nazariy Rusyn will hopefully bring immediate goals to the Stadium of Light having been one of the top scorers in the Ukrainian Premier Liga last season.

Rusyn was one of four deadline day signings for the Wearsiders, with Mason Burstow also arriving from Chelsea on loan as well as midfielder Adil Aouchiche signing on a permanent deal from Lorient.

The other late addition perhaps has the most upside though in the form of right-back Timothée Pembélé, who links up with Sunderland on a permanent basis from French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

There has been a strong French contingent added following the arrival of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus as the club's new owner, and both Aouchiche and Pembélé have bolstered that particular type of player.

21-year-old Pembélé arrives as a French youth international at four different levels whilst also playing for his nation in the Olympic Games.

And in the 2022-23 season he did play six times for PSG at senior level after recovering from a serious knee injury, but ultimately was kept out of the side by Achraf Hakimi in the long-term - not a bad player to be deputising for.

The expectation is though that he will get plenty of game-time at Sunderland, but he's not quite ready to make his debut just yet.

When will Timothée Pembélé make his Sunderland debut?

Pembélé had not made an appearance for PSG in the 2023-24 season before signing for Sunderland at the start of September, but it should not be too long until he pulls on the red and white stripes.

Sunderland's official website has revealed that Pembélé is undergoing a special maintenance program to improve his fitness following his arrival, having recovered from a long-term knee issue earlier in 2023.

Whilst Pembélé was fit at the end of the 2022-23 season in the French capital, he was not used by Christophe Galtier so he is now trying to get himself back into match fitness.

The Black Cats stating that his schedule will build up for the rest of September with the aim to introduce him into first-team training and matches 'over the next month', suggesting that it will only be in late October where we may see the youngster get his first competitive minutes.

Where will Timothée Pembélé fit in at Sunderland?

Presumably, Pembélé has been brought in as long-term competition for Trai Hume - which will be good for both players.

Hume pretty much has the starting 11 spot locked down at the moment, but the Northern Irishman is not the finished article by any stretch of the imagination at the age of 21, much like Pembélé himself.

Pembélé definitely has a pace advantage over Hume though, and he has the top level experience at Ligue 1 level under his belt too, even if he didn't play all that much for his former club.

Like all of Sunderland's summer signings, there will be a lot of excitement in seeing Pembélé for the first time, and he fits right in with the recruitment drive that Louis-Dreyfus has brought into the club - a high potential player with a lot of resale value.