Frenchman could leave Sunderand AFC in January, it makes sense | OneFootball

Adil Aouchiche has struggled for game time at Sunderland this season, perhaps a January loan move could be the best course of action

It's been a terrific start to the season for Sunderland under Regis Le Bris, and they sit top of the league five points clear after just 12 games.

After a 16th place finish last season which saw Sunderland endure a miserable second half of the campaign, not many people would have expected this sort of start, and while there's a feel good factor at the Stadium of Light, not everyone at the club will be loving life currently.

Adil Aouchiche, who joined the club back in the summer of 2023, has fallen down the pecking order since Le Bris' arrival, and he's played just 12 minutes of Championship football in the first 12 league games.

This is a stark contrast to last season where he featured regularly despite not always being a starter, and he's been a victim of the club's success in the early weeks of the new campaign.

The attacker has actually missed out on the matchday squad for seven of the 12 games this season, and you get the impression that a January exit for the 23-year-old makes perfect sense.

Adil Aouchiche leaving Sunderland in January makes sense

Aouchiche looked to be a coup for Sunderland when they announced his signing last summer after playing for the likes of PSG, Saint-Étienne and Lorient, but he hasn't quite hit the expected heights in the North East just yet.

Two goals and two assists in 28 Championship games last season was a decent return, all things considered, but it appears that his compatriot Le Bris just doesn't quite fancy him.

Le Bris will know more about Aouchiche than most, having managed him at Lorient before selling him to Sunderland, and he struggled for game time then too, playing just 13 games for the club during the 2022/23 season, just one of them coming as a league start.

With that in mind, perhaps Aouchiche was disappointed to learn that Le Bris was going to be his manager yet again, and his lack of playing time under him has become a recurring theme.

An EFL Cup start against Preston saw him play 81 minutes in August, and a 12-minute cameo against Sheffield Wednesday followed a few days later, but Aouchiche hasn't played a first-team minute for Sunderland since the 18th August.

He has come back into the matchday squad for their last three league fixtures, but no minutes from the bench suggests that he's not in Le Bris' plans at the moment.

With that in mind, a loan move in January makes perfect sense, as the 23-year-old needs to be playing regular football now.

He's contracted to Sunderland until June 2028, so it's too early to cut losses and offload him permanently, but a loan move would suit all parties, and allow Aouchiche to get the regular football under his belt that he's been craving.

There's still a future at Sunderland for Adil Aouchiche

It's clear that Aouchiche is very talented and, while he hasn't played this season, with Le Bris opting for 4-3-3 on most occasions, which makes it difficult for him to fit in, there could still be a future for him.

Selling him in January could come back to haunt them in the future, so a short-term loan spell where he's guaranteed regular football would be a good solution.

While the 23-year-old is experienced in French football, he perhaps lacks experience of the English game, and if Sunderland were to loan him out they should look to make sure it's to an English club.

There would likely be a number of Championship clubs interested in acquiring his services, and if he could play regular football in the Championship for half a season, he could come back to the Stadium of Light for pre-season a different player and one that is capable of pushing for a starting place next season.

It hasn't happened for Aouchiche so far this season and no doubt he'll be frustrated by that, but a loan away and a fresh start in January could be the tonic that's needed to get his Sunderland career back on track.