Patience is a virtue. Or so the saying goes. Sunderland supporters must be the most virtuous of all as they have waited all season for Salis Abdul Samed to make his debut for the Black Cats. So, with everything crossed that the moment will come at some point this month, just how good is he?
We ask French football expert Jeremy Smith to run the rule over the RC Lens loanee…
F1879: Due to injury, Sunderland will be more than a third of the way through their season before Salis Abdul Samed kicks a ball for the Black Cats. The squad has been crying out for an experienced, specialist defensive midfielder with proven quality for eons, especially with recent injuries and suspensions in the middle of the park biting hard.
Can Samed fill that Corry Evans shaped hole – what type of player do we have on our hands here as on paper his signing feels very much like a coup?
JS: I think it’s a very impressive coup. Samed has top flight, international and Champions League experience, has shown the temperament to take each rise in quality in his stride, he of course has the language to be able to communicate well with Le Bris and he is exactly the type of player that any successful team needs: a ball winner and no-nonsense passer who is happy to keep out of the limelight and do the heavy lifting to let other players shine.
F1879: With 19 caps for Ghana, Champions League experience, and a key role at Lens early on, why do you think Samed chose a Championship move to Sunderland rather than elsewhere higher in the footballing pyramid?
JS: I don’t know which other teams were interested but I think the Championship and Sunderland in particular make sense. Like it or not, money is a factor and, assuming Sunderland are footing at least part of the bill, then, frankly, Ligue 1 clubs are struggling to keep up even with Championship teams in terms of the salaries that they can offer. Similarly, and maybe partly because of that, the Championship is arguably not that far off Ligue 1 in terms of quality. It is also a similar type of football – physical but with very talented, skillful young, attacking players. As for Sunderland, the obvious French links will help him to feel quickly at home, as will playing for a passionate crowd from the industrial north of the country where football is almost religion – something that he also experienced at Lens.
F1879: It’s understood in his first season at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis he formed an effective partnership with Seko Fofana. Can you tell us about how they complemented each other and whether you feel Samed could form a similar partnership here on Wearside with one of our current midfielders, if so who would his style best work alongside – a Dan Neil or a Jobe Bellingham perhaps?
JS: Fofana was fantastic as a box-to-box midfielder with a big emphasis on pushing forward and supporting the attack. He was able to do that in part because Samed played as the sitter, disciplined enough to stay in front of the defence, provide cover when the ball was lost, press hard to win the ball back and then give it to Fofana and others to do the business at the other end of the pitch. As he finally plays after a longish break and becomes acclimatised to the speed of English football he may need a little more guidance and support in midfield so perhaps Neil’s slight advantage in terms of experience and tactical discipline might be a better fit to start with.
F1879: Do you think Ligue 1 experience can prepare Samed for the pace and physicality of the English second tier? How do you think he will cope with this aspect of our game?
JS: I think the physicality should certainly not be an issue – he has experience in the even more physical Ligue 2 and Ligue 1 is more physical than many assume. It is the pace that is usually a bigger issue for midfielders coming from France – the non-stop nature of English football is usually the factor that takes the most getting used to. Some players don’t cut it (have a look at Tottenham’s list of failed French midfielders!) but I think that Samed has the fitness and intelligence to make it, and going from top flight and Champions League to the Championship should hopefully mean the difference in pace is slightly less marked than were he to have moved to the Premier League. And Lens’s fast-paced game under Franck Haise will also give Samed a head-start over others who have crossed the Channel.
F1879: How could this loan spell influence Samed’s career trajectory, and what might be the next step for him once the loan ends? Do you think the chances of any move here being made permanent are slim?
JS: He may not have been expecting to make this move at the end of last season but, now that he is in England, he is likely to see it as a chance to showcase his skills for a big money transfer and a move to the Premier League, with or without Sunderland. He is 24, he has ticked off many of the stepping stones you’d expect players to make as they move through their career. This is a great chance for him to take that big step up.
F1879: What do you think are Samed’s main strengths and what areas of his game still need improvement?
JS: When I say that he keeps things very simple, it is meant as a compliment. He presses hard, he wins the ball, might carry it a little, then he gives it to a team-mate. He doesn’t try to do anything too flashy. But that’s exactly what you want from a defensive midfielder. In terms of improvement, perhaps he could look to occasionally have a little more attacking intent, but then that creates the risk of him being caught out of position. If he could develop more of a box-to-box ethos rather than a simple sitting brief, it would be another string to his bow and another option for Le Bris, but as long as other players can do that role, perhaps there is no need.
F1879: How well does Samed fit into different tactical systems? What formation was he used to at Lens?
JS: When he played for Clermont, he played in a double pivot in a standard 4-2-3-1 formation. At Lens, Franck Haise played with a back 3 and a big emphasis on attacks coming more from talented wing-backs bombing forward. While his role arguably didn’t change much across the two formations, he is used to different set-ups and different balances to the team around him.
F1879: At 24-years of age how would you assess his current level and how high would you say his ceiling is?
JS: It’s obviously not always easy to predict how players will adjust to a change in country, culture, language, football etc. Looking at other players in similar positions, Makelele started as a more attack-minded player before becoming the defensive glue that held the Galacticos together. No one in France expected Ngolo Kante to reach the heights that he did when he first left the country for Leicester. And Samed’s Lens team-mate Nampalys Mendy was destined for great things when he left Nice to replace Kante at Leicester, yet never really settled and his career stalled. But Samed’s career progression has been slow and steady, he has a good attitude to go with his football ability and he has held his own in his few Champions League appearances, which suggests that he certainly can aspire to become a regular and effective Premier League midfielder.
F1879: Sunderland supporters like to see players giving it their all for the shirt. What insights can you provide on Samed’s mentality and work ethic? How important have these attributes been in his career progression thus far?
JS: There have never been any issues with attitude and he always seems to give 100% week in week out. Lens fans are passionate but also have high standards and he certainly won their approval across his two seasons there.
F1879: At its simplest, do you feel this a good signing for Sunderland AFC?
JS: Definitely. It was a surprise that Lens didn’t want to keep him in the playing squad other their new coach Will Still, but he played a pivotal role in helping Lens to qualify for the Champions League and then perform well in the competition the following year. He has international experience for a talented, competitive team. And the fact that it is a loan deal means that it is relatively low risk. The obvious issue is the recent injuries and the fitness levels but if he can come back soon and quickly get close to his best, then it should prove to be an excellent signing.
Thanks to Jeremy. Follow him on Bluesky.
Photo by Mike Egerton via PA Images/Alamy
