Midfielder remains tight-lipped over Sunderland AFC future | OneFootball

This Black Cats defender wants to put his personal future aside to help his loan club survive relegation.

On-loan Sunderland man Pierre Ekwah says he wants to “put aside” his personal future in order to focus on helping his loan club, Saint Etienne.

The Frenchman was loaned to the Ligue 1 outfit for the duration of the season back in August, after struggling to impress new boss Regis Le Bris.

He has become a hugely important figure for Les Verts, who are fighting at the foot of the French top flight, looking to avoid an immediate return to Ligue 2.

While Ekwah is due to return to the Stadium of Light in the summer, he has remained tight-lipped about where his future may lie beyond the end of the campaign.

Ekwah wants to put his personal future to one side

After making 40 league appearances for the Black Cats last season, and scoring five goals, it’s fair to say that it was something of a surprise to see him head out on loan towards the end of the summer.

That said, he featured just once for Sunderland in the opening few games of this campaign under Le Bris, with his only appearance coming in their EFL Cup First Round win over Preston North End.

However, since making the switch to France, he has become a key figure in the Saint Etienne side, having started 19 of their 23 league games so far.

Speaking in an interview with media outlet Allez Les Lions, Ekwah outlined why he opted to switch to Saint Etienne for the season. He said: “I spoke with the former coach, but also with the sporting director. What they had to say appealed to me, especially the ASSE (Saint Etienne) club project. I wanted to discover the French championship and, of course, play in Ligue 1.”

However, when discussing where he might be playing his football beyond the end of this season, the midfielder was far more restrained. He continued: “The main thing is to get out of this complicated situation and ensure the maintenance of the club.

“My goal is to raise my level of play, perform better and better serve the team. My personal case (future), I really put it aside.”

Ekwah may not have a future at Sunderland

While Ekwah himself is fairly non-committal as to where his future lies, the signs from Sunderland themselves point towards him departing the club for good in the summer.

The Black Cats’ midfield has been fairly settled this season, with skipper Dan Neil (pictured) regularly slotting in alongside the exciting young talents of Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg. With that in mind, it is understood that Le Bris and the club currently have “no plans” to reintegrate Ekwah back into the squad next season.

When you throw in the fact that Sunderland could yet be a Premier League club again next season, a level that Ekwah has never played at before, it could become even more unlikely that he is able to work his way back into the fold.

According to the Sunderland Echo, Saint Etienne have a clause in the loan deal that gives them the opportunity to make Ekwah’s loan deal a permanent one in the summer, for a fee believed to be in the region of £6million.

While it’s currently unclear whether the midfielder will have other suitors, either in France or England, that would provide Sunderland with vital funds to be reinvested into their squad ahead of the next campaign.