£18m Sunderland star burst onto the scene like Amad, now he looks like Adingra

Sunderland have enjoyed a terrific season after they secured their survival in the Premier League with a 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.

The Black Cats won the play-offs in the Championship last year under Regis Le Bris and avoided being relegated straight back down to the Championship, which is some achievement.

Brilliant work in the summer transfer window played a pivotal role in the club’s success in the top-flight, as the likes of Granit Xhaka, Robin Roefs, and Brian Brobbey have been exceptional additions to the squad.

Sunderland bought a strong core of players, with the likes of Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete added to the defence, and have racked up 47 points in 35 games so far.

However, not all of their signings hit the mark last summer. The club bought Simon Adingra from Premier League rivals Brighton for a fee of £21m, and he looks to be heading for the exit door at the Stadium of Light.

Why Sunderland have to part ways with Simon Adingra

The Black Cats allowed the winger to join Monaco on loan with an option for them to sign him permanently for a fee of around £15m during the January transfer window, but it remains to be seen whether or not the French side decide to keep him.

If Monaco send Adingra back to the Stadium of Light, Sunderland should push to part ways with him on loan or on a permanent basis for the 2026/27 campaign, because he did not do enough with his opportunities on Wearside.

The Ivorian forward delivered one goal and zero assists in his 14 appearances for the club in the Premier League after being signed for the second-highest fee in their history.

Adingra has also gone eight games without a goal for Monaco after scoring three goals in his first seven outings, which suggests that he is also struggling for consistency in France.

Whilst the Black Cats should look to cash in on the £21m flop this summer, there is another Sunderland star who is becoming the new Adingra at the Stadium of Light.

The Sunderland star who is becoming the new Simon Adingra

Sunderland may have thought that they had their next Amad Diallo, who scored 14 goals for the club in the 2022/23 campaign on loan from Manchester United, when they swooped to sign Chemsdine Talbi last summer.

Amad was a terrific winger for the Black Cats who provided consistent quality as a goalscorer in the Championship, using his technical quality to create moments of magic on a regular basis.

Talbi, who joined from Club Brugge for £18m, looked set to be their new version of the United loanee after he scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea in the first half of the campaign.

Since the early promise that he showed in a Sunderland shirt, though, the Morocco international has dropped out of the team and struggled for game time in recent months.

Talbi has been an unused substitute in three of the club’s last nine Premier League matches and only started four of the team’s last ten outings in the division, scoring one goal in that time.

The 20-year-old prospect also has not registered a single assist in the Premier League since his debut against West Ham United, which means that he has gone 25 matches and counting without an assist.

Instead of looking like the new Amad with constant moments of magic and goals from a wide position, Talbi is quickly becoming the new Adingra with his lack of impact and game time.

At the age of 20, though, the forward may be given more time by Le Bris to develop his game and add more consistency to his play at the top end of the pitch.

However, Talbi could find himself in Adingra’s position this time next year if he does not take a leap forward in his development for the 2026/27 Premier League campaign.