‘Not been the same’: Sunderland man labelled ‘most disappointing’ Championship player this season

‘Not been the same’: Sunderland man labelled ‘most disappointing’ Championship player this season

But it’s been a turbulent season for Sunderland who currently find themselves in 10th place of the table and eight points outside the top six, with 12 games remaining.

Tony Mowbray was sacked in what’s arguably proved to be a poor decision from the Sunderland owners, then replaced by Michael Beale who was sacked after 12 games, with Mike Dodds now in charge until the summer.

Pierre Ekwah branded ‘most disappointing’ player in the Championship

And amid what is turning out to be a disappointing season, Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah has been labelled as the Championship’s ‘most disappointing’ player in the 2023/24 season so far.

Speaking on The Second Tier podcast when debating who’s been the ‘most disappointing player this season’, pundit Ryan Dilks said:

“The one who stood out amongst the rest, for me, was Pierre Ekwah at Sunderland. What I’m basing that off is his form in the second half of last season with Sunderland; he was phenomenal in the middle of the park for them.”

Dilks continued:

“But this season, he’s not been the same player. I think he started off alright, I remember he got those two goals from distance against Southampton, in that demolition job that they did. But then, I think he got injured, and since then his form has not been as good. I was really expecting him to use last season as a bit of a platform for him to go on and be a star man for Sunderland this season.”

He concluded:

“He [Ekwah] could’ve really been the best midfielder in the Championship this season, despite some of the player who have come down from the Premier League. He could’ve been that good, but he’s just not. He’s been pretty poor in terms of handling the ball and giving it away, and just being dispossessed on a regular basis.”

Lofty expectations not met, but an unfair assessment

Many will agree that Ekwah has not quite hit the heights of last season.

A while after he joined from West Ham in January last year, the Frenchman really started to show his class, instantly becoming a key member of the XI and a fan favourite too.

At his best, the 22-year-old is a player who can do everything in midfield; dribble, pass, win duels, and this season he’s shown that he can score goals with four in 28 league appearances.

But there’s definitely been spells of inconsistency.

Sunderland fans were blasting Ekwah for some of his performances in the first half of the season, with the Frenchman looking lax, and often clumsy in possession.

EKwah showed signs of improvement under Beale, though this season certainly looks like a bit of a transitional one for the player; it’s easy to forget that this is his first full season playing senior football.

Though Dilks’ comments may be a bit unjust.

Sunderland still look on course to achieve a top half finish which in their second season back in the Championship is still commendable.

And Ekwah has gained plenty of experience from this campaign which will hold him in good stead going forward, again with his newfound scoring touch being a positive for him.

Hopefully next season, Ekwah will add consistency to his game and show everyone why he’s wanted by Premier League clubs.

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