It’s nearly a month now until Sunderland kick their Premier League season off on home turf versus West Ham United as the Black Cats’ transfer business continues at a hundred miles per hour.
Six new faces have joined the ever-expanding Stadium of Light ranks so far, with the pick of the recent bunch who have relocated to Wearside being Simon Adingra, as the Premier League-capable attacker left Brighton and Hove Albion behind for a fresh adventure up North.
Don’t be surprised if the number of exciting bodies to join the building rises into the double-digit range very soon, with more and more high-profile signings expected to be made before August arrives.
£9m star now on the Sunderland shopping list
Whilst the cash thrown around to land Enzo Le Fee, Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi would have caught the eye of those with connections to Sunderland, as £67m was excessively splashed, the pick up of Adingra will be the most pleasing capture to date, considering his wide knowledge of the top-flight.
Aaron Ramsdale might well add to that if he joins Regis Le Bris’ camp very soon, with new rumours seeming to suggest that the goalkeeper might be the new number one the Black Cats desire when climbing back up to the Premier League.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has even been allegedly on the Sunderland shopping list as well. However, the European markets will no doubt still be tapped into again as Le Bris and Co now enter the race to try and snap up Spezia gem Salvatore Esposito.
As per a report from journalist Graeme Bailey, the one-time Italy international is firmly on Sunderland’s summer radar, with the likes of Brighton, Burnley, Brentford, Everton, and Fulham all also interested in the 24-year-old after Spezia failed to win promotion to Serie A.
Valued at just £9m – as per Transfermarkt – this could well prove to be a great steal on the end of Sunderland if Esposito instantly acclimatises to the demands of the English game and shines, with the Spezia number five perhaps going to be an even better talent than the £30m-rated Diarra down the line.
How Esposito could be even better than Diarra
Of course, Diarra does have plenty of top-flight experience under his belt that will help him when trying to become an instant success on Wearside.
Indeed, the 21-year-old had amassed 94 Ligue 1 appearances for Strasbourg with a hefty tally of nine goals and ten assists also coming his way lining up for Liam Rosenior’s side.
Games played
30
34
Goals scored
4
7
Assists
5
10
Touches*
43.5
80.6
Accurate passes*
26.3 (87%)
48.8 (85%)
Big chances created
9
18
Ball recoveries*
3.0
6.3
Total duels won*
3.3
7.3
Yet, it’s very clear when looking at the above table – even if Esposito has played the majority of his career in the Italian second tier to date – that the 24-year-old definitely has a higher ceiling than the Serie B, with a ridiculous 17 goal contributions next to his name from 34 league clashes last season.
The most exciting takeaway from the table, however, will be how well-rounded Esposito’s game looks as a midfielder who is capable of dazzling crowds with that output, but he is also a talent hungry to battle away for his team’s cause, as seen in his mammoth 7.3 duels being won per game last campaign as Spezia gunned for promotion.
Diarra’s numbers do fall flat in comparison, with the former Inter Milan man even going on to win that solitary Italy call-up when he was known as a rising gem.
Therefore, the “elegant” midfielder – as he’s been lauded in the past by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – should be able to make the first-team cut under Le Bris very soon, even if the jump up in quality is disorientating at first.
Diarra could well find that transition to be even trickier, considering he has that lavish £30m price tag above his head.
Whereas, for only £9m, Esposito – who has also been labelled as a “technical genius” by football analyst Ben Mattinson – won’t have that same level of anxiety on his shoulders, with the 24-year-old hopeful he can be an immediate success story that helps Sunderland to survive.
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1 BySean Markus CliffordJul 13, 2025