Sunderland look to finally be on the verge of signing a new striker.
The Black Cats were full of relief when Eliezer Mayenda netted a brace against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend.
However, the Spaniard isn’t expected to take up the No. 9 role this season, with the club aiming to bring in another two new forwards.
Sunderland have long been chasing Alexandre Mendy and have reportedly made a fresh seven-figure bid, but it remains to be seen as to whether a deal can get done.
In the mean time, they have turned their attention to Zenit St Petersburg striker Wilson Isidor.
According to Russian news outlet SE, Zenit club chairman Alexander Medvedev had said: “Wilson Isidore on his way to Sunderland, England.”
Wilson Isidor career so far
After spending nine years with Rennes’ academy, Isidor joined Monaco in 2018.
The forward mainly featured for the second team, but went onto make 12 appearances for the senior side.
Isidor was sent out on loan to French clubs Laval and Bastia-Borgo, with the latter proving highly successful as he scored 16 goals in only 29 matches, before being named the Championnat National revelation of the season.
The Frenchman’s impressive form earned him a permanent move to Lokomotiv Moscow in 2022. There, he bagged 15 goal contributions in 24 matches, though mainly adopted a position out wide.
Lyon tried to snap him up in January 2023 but he failed his medical due to a knee injury, before earning himself a loan move to Zenit in the summer.
Isidor didn’t enjoy as much success with the Russian champions, scoring four goals in 27 games and making only five starts.
Zenit were obliged to buy the 23-year-old this summer but now appear to be open to selling him on.
Regis Le Bris’ history with Isidor
After spending most of his playing career at Rennes, Le Bris became a youth coach with the French club in 2004 and spent eight years there.
Meanwhile, Isidor joined Rennes’ academy in 2009 and stayed with the club until beyond Le Bris had left.
The attacker was likely much younger than Le Bris’ group, but the Sunderland coach was likely aware of him from his time at the club.
Fast forward 14 years and, according to Ouest-France, Le Bris tried to sign Isidor for Lorient.
The 48-year-old held talks with the young striker but nothing ever came out of the deal, while it is likely that he pushed to sign him once again on Wearside.
Isidor player profile
Full name: Wilson Isidor
Age: 23
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m)
Nationality: French
Place of birth: Rennes, France
Position: Striker/winger
Club: Zenit St Petersburg
Isidor to Sunderland analysis
It is likely that Isidor will act as a back-up striker to Mendy anyway, but he certainly seems a very promising addition.
While he hasn’t impressed quite as much at Zenit, the 23-year-old has scored 40 goals and provided nine assists in 122 matches in his senior career.
He is very tall and looks to be fairly strong, so should be able to handle the physicality of the Championship.
While he hasn’t played in England before, he was racked up plenty of experience and has even played in the Europa League and Champions League.
Le Bris is also clearly a big fan of his so that will benefit the squad really well.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman look to be finally taking into consideration what the manager wants, so hopefully the club can reap the rewards of their decision.
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