Premier League rivals Manchester United had indicated interest in the Serie A players.
Sunderland will not go quietly into that good night this Premier League season, having showed more desire than any newly promoted side since Nottingham Forest, with a net spend of €98.9 million (£85.7 million), although one significant need remains at centre defense.
Sunderland’s four most expensive acquisitions of all time have all arrived during this window, with two more recent additions also ranking in the top ten – as of the beginning of May, that podium included Didier Ngong, Asamoah Gyan, and Steven Fletcher.
Only four of Sunderland’s starting eleven from Wembley appear to represent Regis Le Bris’ strongest team ahead of the season, excluding injuries, and three of those are in defence, with the Black Cats’ midfield and attack undergoing a near-complete overhaul this summer.
Former Barcelona wonderkid Marc Guiu is likely the most well-known of the acquisitions, poised to be Sunderland’s main striker this season after dazzling in flashes at both Camp Nou and Stamford Bridge but having yet to play a thousand minutes of football in a season at the age of twenty.
He’ll be joined by explosive ex-Seagull Simon Adingra, who has eight Premier League goals to his name, and Chemsedine Talbi, who played in the Champions League knockout rounds for Club Brugge last season.
Supported by a ferocious midfield that includes last season’s loan hero Enzo Le Fee, who is now a permanent resident in the north east, the hugely experienced Granit Xhaka, and Habib Diarra, who became the second player to smash Sunderland’s transfer record this summer after Adingra.
Finally, Robin Roefs is the new face in net, leading a defence that includes Dan Ballard, Luke O’Nien, and Trai Hume.
Sunderland must concentrate on that back four for the remainder of the window, as despite setbacks in their pursuits of Loic Bade, Bafode Diakite, and Jhon Lucumi, a quality alternative remains in Fiorentina’s Pietro Comuzzo.
The sky is the limit for Comuzzo
In a busy summer for Le Bris and Sunderland that contrasts sharply with their northern neighbours, centre-back has been the one area where they have mirrored unwanted Eddie Howe and Newcastle in the transfer market.
Diakite, who would have been an amazing steal, is expected to join a Bournemouth side with money to burn and replace PSG-bound Illia Zabarnyi, while both Lucumi and Loic Bade have simply turned down Kristjaan Speakman’s offers.
But Comuzzo is a third option. Standing 6’1″ tall and 20 years old, the Italian played the entire 90 minutes in five clean sheets and made 44 appearances during the season, receiving his first international call-up, however he has yet to play for Italy, having been an unused substitute three times.
Comuzzo may certainly develop technically – and he has the capability to do so at such a young age – but without the ball, he’s been a titan for Fiorentina. He was the third-best tackler in Serie A with a success rate of 79.3%, far ahead of Lucumi, and placed in the top 5% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues in that area, equaling Nottingham Forest star Nikola Milenkovic.
So a frontline centre-back rotation of Comuzzo, Dan Ballard, and Luke O’Nien would strengthen Sunderland’s position as a serious contender, but can they sign the Italian?
Sunderland requires centre-back coverage
Ballard and O’Nien were brilliant last season as the foundation of the Championship’s fourth-best defence, while also contributing consistently (and memorably) on the other end of the pitch.
However, the club captain’s shoulder injury at Wembley, combined with fitness concerns for Aji Alese, Dennis Cirkin, and Leo Hjelde, means that Ballard and Jenson Seelt are the only senior centre-backs to have appeared in a pre-season defeat, with Le Bris also forced to field academy players and full-backs at the position.
Fiorentina are requesting roughly €40 million (£34.7 million) for Comuzzo, a 20-year-old with strong ties to Tuscany.
When Manchester United expressed interest in Comuzzo in January, he instead signed a new deal with La Viola, telling Radio FirenzeViola (as reported by Quotidiano Sportivo): “The contract renewal was a strong signal from the club, a demonstration of respect.” President [Rocco] Commisso is a lovely person, and I share a unique affinity with him. When my mother died, he was one of the first to come and comfort me. This is also why I’m glad I stayed in this city, which feels like a second home to me.”
Meanwhile, such spending would push Sunderland’s net spend this window much beyond the £109.2m-£116.9m prize money received by the three relegated Premier League teams last season, placing them at risk of Profit and Sustainability Rules violations if they do not survive.
Given the injuries and the need for an upgrade, a free agent signing wouldn’t be a bad thing. In addition to Comuzzo, Victor Lindelof and Kurt Zouma are still available, though the Frenchman’s checkered history with domestic felines may not make him the best fit for the Black Cats.
However, Sunderland must also spend money to improve their backline, and if they can entice him, Comuzzo has all the raw materials to thrive in England and help the Wearside club overcome recent history and the relegation.
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