"A gift" - Regis Le Bris issues message on Chris Mepham's Sunderland AFC future | OneFootball

The Black Cats head coach has been discussing the possibility of a permanent deal being struck for the on loan Cherries defender.

Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris has described Bournemouth loanee Chris Mepham as a "gift", as the Black Cats boss discussed the possibility of a permanent transfer for the Welsh international.

Quoted in the Sunderland Echo, Le Bris waxed lyrical over the impact Mepham has already made during his time at the Stadium of Light, following his Deadline Day loan move to Wearside.

The 26-year-old central defender has been enjoying a run in the starting XI in place of the injured Dan Ballard, and his performances have given himself every chance of retaining his spot on a permanent basis this season.

As such, many Sunderland supporters are already clamouring for the club to ensure he remains part of the furniture beyond 2024/25, but neither Le Bris or Mepham are thinking that far ahead just yet...

Le Bris raves over Mepham, but pumps brakes on talks of permanent deal

Sunderland's chiefs will have a pretty good idea as to their chances of signing Mepham on a permanent deal at some point this season, but for now, Le Bris is simply enjoying every standout performance from the defender as they come.

Speaking in the Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats boss said: "I understand why people will want to talk about his future, but that is not my main concern at the minute.

"It will be important at some point, but the most important thing at the minute is developing the link with the player and working on the performance. Then, we will see what happens.

"At the moment, it is too early to be thinking about the future, although we can definitely see and feel his performance and his level. The way he connects with the other players is important. You can sense his maturity, and that makes it so easy for the others to play with him. For me, it is a gift to have him here.”

In what is a largely youthful Sunderland side, Mepham presents as an invaluable piece of experience both on the pitch and in the dressing room, despite being just 26.

That's something that Le Bris recognises too: "It is a question of balance.”the 48-year-old said. "If you have too many young players, you know they will be inexperienced.

"But then if you have too many experienced players, especially on loan, while you probably know they will be effective, you won’t develop a squad with shared values and grow the club. It is a question of balance, and I think we did well during this (summer) transfer window.

"We got the balance right, I think, and a player like Chris Mepham is so important. He is important for the performance of the team, but he is also so important here, in the meeting room.

"When we are analysing a game, and pointing out mistakes, Chris Mepham is the first to put his hand up and say, ‘Okay, I did that wrong. It was my fault. No worries, I will correct that point in the future’.

"That is so powerful for the others to see. If one of our best players can speak like that in front of the group, then the younger players see that and think it is okay for them to be honest and open too. That is the atmosphere I want to create, a learning environment.”

Mepham isn't thinking about permanent Sunderland transfer at the moment

After accepting that he was not in the immediate plans of Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, Mepham knew he wanted, and indeed needed, to be playing regular football at this point in his career.

If his first handful of Sunderland appearances are anything to go by, the Welshman looks totally at home at the Stadium of Light, but like Le Bris, he's not allowing himself to think too far into the future at this moment in time.

Speaking with The Northern Echo in late September, Mepham said: "This is my final year (at Bournemouth) and I think the club have the option of next year. I don't want to look too far ahead. I think naturally you keep it week by week because a lot can happen in a short period of time.

"Like I said, I think the most important thing for me at this stage of my career is just playing football and getting regular game time which is something I've probably missed over the last couple of years.

"All of that will look after itself but I think for me the most important thing is just getting game time, staying fit and staying injury-free. Of course, the most important thing is helping the team and trying to do as best I can for the football club."

"It's super, super tough not playing. Again, you get some lads that might not be as affected. They might be happy to sit on their contracts but I think I've never been that way. I've never wanted to accept the position I'm in, sit on the bench and just see the season through.

"I'm at my happiest and most content in my life when I'm in the team playing football and it seems like all your problems kind of disappear.

"I think that's important and of course I like to think I've still got plenty of time on my side and if I can, like I said, get that regular game time I know that my levels will get higher and that can only help this club and help Wales when I do go away with them."