Sunderland made a number of impressive signings during the summer transfer window.
The Black Cats effectively built a brand new team, spending just under £170 million on 15 new players, including some major coups like Granit Xhaka’s initial £13 million signing and the addition of Lutsharel Geertruida on loan from RB Leipzig.
However, Sunderland’s final addition of the summer, Bertrand Traore, has been questioned by Dutch media.
Freek Jansen suggests Bertrand Traore was a panic buy for Sunderland
After Chelsea recalled Marc Guiu from his loan following Liam Delap’s injury, Sunderland resorted to Amsterdam, signing Brian Brobbey for an initial £17.3 million from Ajax.
During those conversations, Ajax also managed to sell Traore to Sunderland for £2.6 million, a player who had previously impressed in the Premier League with Aston Villa.
However, Dutch journalist Freek Jansen, writing for Voetbalpraat, has questioned this signing.
He wrote: “They were working on Brobbey, which was already in a battle against time. Full throttle, because the English market closed at 7 p.m. that evening. However, Sunderland was also seeking for a number 10 and a winger. Ajax stated that Traore was available, and this occurred fairly swiftly. They instantly contacted Traore and his representative.
“Sunderland probably checked Transfermarkt and saw that Traore had scored against PSV last year. They thought ‘gotcha’ and that was quickly finalised too. So, in one day, €20m (£17.3m) plus €5m (£4.3m) for Brobbey and €3m (£2.6m) for Traore, and the salaries.”
On paper, the Burkina Faso international appeared to have a successful 2024/25 season, scoring ten goals and giving eight assists in 49 games across all competitions.
However, Jansen appears to be implying that the numbers flatter Traore and that he is not as talented as the figures show.
Little to lose for Sunderland
Even if Traore struggled to impress at Ajax last season, the £2.6 million signing might be a stroke of genius for Sunderland.
As previously stated, the 30-year-old has Premier League experience, having made 65 appearances and scoring 11 goals, and for only £2.6 million, it was a worthwhile deal with little time to scour the market adequately.
For what it’s worth, Crystal Palace also signed Borna Sosa from Ajax for just £2 million this summer, indicating that Premier League clubs find value in signing players who are struggling to impress at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
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