Sunderland have completed the £24m signing of French youth international Dayann Methalie, after a worrying back issue was discovered during his initial medical and subsequently resolved. Have Sunderland landed another exciting young prospect ready to make his mark in the Premier League?
Sunderland have announced the signing of sought-after French youth international Dayann Methalie this afternoon for a fee of around £24 million, with an additional £1.7m in add-ons. The multifaceted defender has signed a contract until 2031.
Methalie initially came to Wearside for a medical, but upon a back injury being discovered, he returned to France for further medical tests. All now seems well, as the French U21 defender appears to have got the correct move, with Keith Downie on X, just after the signing was announced, quoted as saying: “It has been an emotional few days for the defender, but he’s now got his dream move.”
Methalie had some positive words to say in his first interview as a Sunderland player, such as: “For me to play in the Premier League is a great privilege” and “I’m very happy to be here. I can’t wait to play. I’m very excited.”
He is a player who seems eager to get going with his new club and is ready to show the fans, his teammates and Régis Le Bris that he is meant to be here.
One Sunderland supporter described the signing as: “Excellent and then a bit dubious when the back issue came to light. However, I feel like this is a great move once again because that issue has been dealt with and he’s signed with us. Hopefully, he will gel well together with the lads.”
Player In ProfileDayann Methalie can play at left-back, left wing and as part of a back three. He brings versatility and quality to a side that wants to push on all fronts in 26/27 and will more than likely compete with Reinildo Mandava for that left-back spot throughout the season.
The Frenchman is twenty years old and came through the youth set-up at Toulouse, the city in which he was born. He made his senior debut in 25/26 for Les Violets and made 27 appearances, 23 of those being starts. He would score twice and assist once, as well as making two tackles per 90 minutes over those 27 matches.
He played a total of 1,904 minutes in the previous campaign, making 380 passes, 114 defensive contributions, creating three big chances and winning 107 duels in that time. We have a solid defensive player on our hands ahead of the 26/27 campaign.
Methalie seems a promising young prospect and will continue to develop his game during his time at Sunderland. Our experienced defenders Dan Ballard, Trai Hume, Reinildo, Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete should be great footballing mentors to our newest full-back.
Welcome to Sunderland, Dayann Methalie!