Could an injury-free Aji Alese save Sunderland millions in the transfer market under Florent Ghisolfi?
Aji Alese could theoretically fill a major Sunderland squad gap without costing a penny, but his injury record leaves Florent Ghisolfi with a difficult decision
Aji Alese’s Sunderland future may ultimately come down to one simple thing: availability.
There has never been much doubt about the defender’s ability. Alese came through West Ham United’s Premier League academy, looked excellent for Sunderland in the Championship when fit and possesses a combination of size, pace and technical quality that should translate to the top level.
He can also play at left-back or as a left-sided centre-back. That is almost exactly the profile Sunderland currently need. In theory, therefore, Alese could save the club millions in the transfer market. The difficulty is that nobody can guarantee his body will allow him to do it. It is also worth noting that he hasn’t travelled with the club on their pre-season tour to the USA.
A brutal injury record
The numbers demonstrate the scale of the problem. According to Transfermarkt’s injury data, Alese has suffered eight separate injury issues since the beginning of the 2022-23 season. Those absences amount to 898 days out and 127 games missed. Last season alone, he was listed as unavailable for 422 days across two injury setbacks and missed 54 matches. A serious shoulder problem accounted for the majority of that period before a further hamstring injury kept him out for 97 days.
That followed 77 days and 12 missed games due to an ankle injury during 2024-25. The previous campaign had already been badly disrupted by an ankle problem and a lengthy thigh injury, with Alese absent for a combined 264 days and 40 fixtures in 2023-24. Even during 2022-23, his first season at Sunderland, three separate foot, ankle and thigh issues cost him 135 days and 21 games.
Those are brutal numbers for any player, particularly one still trying to re-establish himself. It was therefore genuinely lovely to see Alese back in a Sunderland shirt against York City. He played the second half at left-back and began another attempt to rebuild his fitness and momentum. The challenge now is staying there.
The talent is obvious
When available, Alese has shown enough to suggest he can play at a high level. Dan Ballard is arguably Sunderland’s best centre-back when fit, but Alese possesses plenty of the same defensive qualities. He is physically strong, reads danger well and has the recovery speed to defend space behind him.
There is also an argument that Alese is slightly more comfortable on the ball. Being naturally left-footed gives Sunderland balance when building from the back, while his ability to cover two positions makes him particularly useful in a season involving Premier League, Europa League and domestic cup football.
Ballard has had his own injuries, of course, but has generally been able to keep his body right for long enough to become an established and important first-team player. Alese has never been afforded that sustained run. That is what makes his situation so frustrating. There are no concerns about his talent, attitude or work rate. Quite the opposite.
Nobody around the Academy of Light appears to have a bad word to say about him. His commitment during several long rehabilitation programmes has repeatedly been noted, and he remains a popular figure among players and staff. Sometimes, however, professionalism and talent are not enough to protect a player from terrible injury luck.
Sunderland have seen this before
I thought Niall Huggins could provide Sunderland with a useful squad option last season. His ability was obvious, and his versatility meant he could play at either right-back or left-back. In a busy Premier League campaign, that should have been valuable. It did not work out that way. Huggins went out on loan before leaving Sunderland following the end of his contract.
As with Alese, the situation was more difficult because Huggins was clearly talented and enormously well-liked. Supporters naturally want those players to succeed, particularly after watching them put so much work into repeated recoveries. At the moment, Alese’s Sunderland story feels closer to Jordan Willis’ desperately unfortunate spell than Ballard’s eventual success.
There is still time for that to change. Alese is only 25, and pre-season gives him another opportunity to show Le Bris that he can be relied upon. He does not necessarily need to force his way into Sunderland’s strongest XI immediately. Remaining fit, training consistently and proving he can handle a succession of games would represent significant progress.
The transfer dilemma
A fit Alese could be an excellent rotation option. He could cover Reinildo at left-back, provide a natural left-sided alternative in central defence and start matches in Europe or the domestic cups. Sunderland would effectively fill a clear squad gap without paying another transfer fee.
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But recruitment decisions cannot be made on the assumption that a player with Alese’s record will suddenly remain available for an entire season. That is the key issue. Sunderland are likely to continue exploring defensive additions because the risk of relying entirely on Alese is simply too great. If another left-sided defender arrives, his route to regular minutes will become even more difficult. That leaves a major question over what happens next. Sunderland could retain him as valuable depth, particularly given the expanded fixture list.
Equally, Alese may reach a stage where he needs regular football to restart his career properly, rather than waiting behind several established defenders. For now, the best thing he can do is stay on the pitch. His talent could save Sunderland millions. His injury record is the reason they cannot plan on that happening, and will inevitably have to dip into the market again this summer.