Sunderland will soon return to Championship action after the lengthy international break keen to pick up their first win of November after having to settle for three draws on the spin so far this month.
Their last chance to pick up three points will come away at Millwall, with the Black Cats fearful they could even drop out of the top two if they lose at the Den and other results pile on the misery.
Regis Le Bris will be hopeful that another win is forthcoming though, knowing that he has an exceptional batch of loan stars at his disposal, alongside the rest of his talented camp.
Sunderland’s top loan performers
Wilson Isidor notched up his fifth goal of the season already last time out versus Coventry City, with the Zenit St. Petersburg loanee proving himself to be an instant hit with the Stadium of Light masses.
It’s the manner in which he is finishing off these chances too that has made him such a treat to watch on Wearside, with a first-time finish against the Sky Blues executed to perfection.
Away from Isidor gifting his new side some much-needed firepower, Chris Mepham has also proven himself to be a worthwhile loan capture in defence.
The towering Welshman wasn’t quite at his best when Sunderland fell to a 2-2 draw against Coventry, but he has been crucial in other clashes where the Black Cats have had to dig deep to win, with a stunning ten duels won away at Luton Town at the end of October to help his team narrowly win 2-1.
However, not every loanee that enters the building will go on to make an impact like Mepham or Isidor, with one former Sunderland attacker barely remembered for his stay at the Stadium of Light.
He is now known though to be a top Premier League performer, someone who is even rivalling the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe in one department of his game…
Sunderland loanee now rivalling Mbappe and Haaland
Nobody would have seen Antoine Semenyo’s rise coming when he was timidly donning a Black Cats strip, with the 24-year-old pushed out on loan to the Black Cats back in 2020 from then-parent club Bristol City.
Semenyo would go on to make seven unmemorable appearances for Sunderland during what was a rocky patch in the Wearside club’s recent history, considering they were just fresh off back-to-back relegations down to League One.
Semenyo would go on to make a name for himself back at Bristol after this excursion at the Stadium of Light, however, before AFC Bournemouth picked him up and turned him into a star capable of scoring stunning solo strikes like the one he conjured up against South Coast neighbours Southampton earlier this season.
Leaving a whole host of Saints shirts in the dust before firing past Aaron Ramsdale, the “powerful” attacker – as he has been described by teammate Lewis Cook – is up to four goals now from 12 Premier League games. That has even included scoring against Haaland’s Man City.
That isn’t the last time the slick Ghanaian winger will be mentioned in the same breath as the Scandinavian sharpshooter, with FBRef showing that Semenyo and Haaland are extremely close when it comes to shots registered per game this campaign.
All of Europe’s big five leagues have been taken into account here too, as the Cherries revelation starts to rub shoulders with some elite attackers when it comes to his instincts in and around the box.
Most shots registered – top five European leagues (24/25) | ||
|---|---|---|
Player | Total shots | Total goals |
1. Erling Haaland | 54 | 12 |
2. Nikola Kristovic | 52 | 2 |
3. Kylian Mbappe | 49 | 6 |
4. Antoine Semenyo | 47 | 4 |
5. Valentin Castellanos | 44 | 5 |
Stats via FBRef | ||
Amazingly, the Bournemouth number 24 is only two short of Mbappe’s shots total for the season playing for Real Madrid in La Liga, with 47 shots amassed across his 15 games in the Premier League. It’s safe to say he’s a real menace for Premier League defences.
There could be even more to come from Semenyo as the campaign rolls on, as he aims to establish himself as a consistently bright performer in the top flight.
Sunderland will just curse the fact they couldn’t get more out of Semenyo during the infancy of his playing days, before this wild transformation at Bournemouth.
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