Roker Roundtable: Should Sunderland pursue the permanent signing of Edouard Michut?

Dan Harrison says…

Bellingham offers a fantastic cover for the emerging starlet that is Pierre Ekwah for next season.

He provides similar attributes in a true box-to-box role for Sunderland and given the flourish towards the end of this campaign, I’m sure we could see something similar occur with Bellingham next season.

However, I do feel that we’ve got something special with Eduoard Michut and should still pursue his signature for the 2023/2024 campaign.

He provides adequate competition for Dan Neil and his ball possession numbers and passing accuracy are both in the ninety fourth percentile for Championship midfielders. He’s settled in a foreign country and league without much fuss and he could really kick on to become a special talent at Sunderland.

I feel like his attributes would be much better suited to the Premier League and it would be a shame for Sunderland to progress there whilst leaving a talent like Michut behind.

That being said, it’s more about whether the club feel they can afford to splash upwards of two million pounds on two midfielders looking to operate primarily for competition to our current midfield system.

Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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Gary Engel says…

We’ve heard snippets about Bellingham and although it sounds like he’s in his brother’s shadow, one rumour suggests that in the longer term, he could develop into an even better player than Jude.

While his name and the prospect are exciting, his age, even under Sunderland’s watchful eye, will mean we need to treat him with kid gloves.

It’s hard to tell how many minutes he’s likely to play in the first couple of seasons. He’s unlikely to be a guaranteed first team starter and for that reason, I wouldn’t rule out signing Michut as well.

Following his performances against Fulham in January, everyone thought £2.5m for a highly sought-after prospect was a no-brainer. Granted, there are some cons, mainly that he and Dan Neil together are too similar and lightweight to play in a two man central midfield.

Michut and Bellingham don’t have to be seen as an ‘either/or’, given Bellingham’s apparent versatility, but they’ll both need to bide their time. I also feel Sunderland’s signings this summer could provide the club with strength in-depth and that means nothing is ruled out.

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Tom Albrighton says…

I couldn’t see any harm in signing both.

In his time here, Michut proved to many that he’s got the capability and raw skills to indicate that he has the talent to warrant a future signing.

Whilst somewhat lightweight, he played in a range of midfield roles and showed varying levels of success in these areas. Given our aims next season, versatility from players will be key as we look to perfect our tactical approach and turn it into domination as much as possible.

Michut, like others in the squad, will need time and patience as he develops and adapts to the English game. As time has gone on, he’s shown his desire to get involved and at times win the physical battle despite his obvious disadvantages.

Given Bellingham’s tender age, patience will also be required of him and as we’ve seen already, the recruitment team and coaches aren’t always keen to throw players in at the meaty end.

With departures likely and a reported fee of up to £5m, signing Michut especially after the emergence of Pierre Ekwah would be a risk, but I think it’s a risk worth taking.

Photo by Ian horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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