Sunderland would have been relieved to have won away at West Bromwich Albion this weekend, with emerging star Pierre Ekwah scoring the only goal in the 1-0 triumph.
The Black Cats were undoubtedly aided by the hosts being down to 10 men, but it would have been an encouraging Championship scalp for Mike Dodds’ side to defeat Carlos Corberan’s playoff-chasing squad on their home turf.
The aforementioned Ekwah stood out in the tight win in the West Midlands among other raw stars such as Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg, emphasizing the former West Ham United youngster’s signing last year as a golden one.
Pierre Ekwah’s time at Sunderland
Ekwah arrived at the Stadium of Light in 2023 as a relatively unknown figure in the men’s game, having only played youth football with the Hammers before his huge transfer up to Wearside.
Nonetheless, the French midfielder has never looked back since entering through the door and has gone on to become a key part of the Black Cats team this season, even when things have been difficult.
Ekwah’s delightfully placed half-volley at the Hawthorns was his fifth league goal in 37 games, and he also added two assists to his expanding tally.
But it was his performance away from bagging the decisive winner that would have impressed those with Sunderland links watching even more, as he came away from the tight contest with four duels won and only five of his 34 passes misplaced on the day.
When Ekwah first made waves for the Black Cats last year, football journalist Josh Bunting described him as “outstanding,” and the Wearside outfit knows it will take a big offer to persuade the topsy-turvy Championship club to sell him, especially since Ekwah’s transfer value is now higher than midfield comrade Dan Neil’s.
Pierre Ekwah’s transfer value in 2024
Ekwah has previously been linked with moves to Premier League clubs like as Crystal Palace and Fulham, but a substantial deal from those higher-up clubs would be required to lure away Sunderland’s top asset given his current transfer worth.
According to Football Transfers, Ekwah’s current worth is €5.8 million (£4.9 million), which is nearly a million more than Neil’s price of €4.7 million (£4 million).
That is despite Neil being an established first-team presence at the Stadium of Light, having made 42 league appearances this season and being the same age as Ekwah at 22.
Ekwah is also worth more than another relied-on first-team figure, Daniel Ballard, who comes in with a lower £4.3 million value next to his name despite impressing against the Baggies in a same manner to the central midfielder, winning eight duels heroically.
Sunderland will simply hope that Ekwah isn’t surprised by interest from the league above if those parties do wind up bidding in the summer, anxious to retain him around for a promotion push next season following a less-than-ideal campaign this season.
If he does leave, Sunderland can take comfort in knowing that they should be able to secure a good price for Ekwah after taking a chance on the once-unproven kid.
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