Ex-PSG man Timothee Pembele 'refused' to play for Sunderland's under-21 side before transfer exit - reports

Sunderland defender Timothee Pembele “refused” to play for the club’s under-21s side, according to reports.

After a disappointing spell on Wearside, the Black Cats allowed the right-back to head out on loan to Ligue 1 side Le Havre during the summer transfer window.

Pembele joined Sunderland from Paris Saint-Germain last September but made just eight Championship appearances as he struggled with injury and the challenge of displacing Trai Hume in the starting XI.

However, Mackem News have released a report, written by a former club employee, which claims Pembele “refused” to play for Graeme Murty’s youth side. Their article reads: “Mackem News understands Pembele withdrew himself from the group of first-team players gaining minutes in Graeme Murty’s U21 side.”

Pembele recently delivered an interview about the switch from Sunderland back to France. Speaking to French outlet Paris Normandie, he said: “Humanly and sportingly, I am coming out of a difficult season. I arrived very late, and I never managed to catch up. The coach never trusted me. And the arrival this summer of Régis Le Bris has not changed anything in my situation. So, I preferred to go on loan.

“I’ve only been here a little over a week and I’m feeling fulfilled again. Quite simply, I’m happy. I’m coming to a club that I know a little bit about, because with PSG I’ve often come to play at La Cavée. And here, the coach really trusts the youngsters. In my opinion, La Havre is the ideal place to perform. In fact, as soon as my manager [agent] told me about Le Havre, I accepted straight away. I wanted to get back to Ligue 1.”

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There is no option for Le Havre to make Pembele’s loan deal permanent next summer. After the deal was concluded, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman made it clear that he expects the full-back to return and compete for a place next summer.

“Timothee’s availability last season represented an opportunity for us to acquire a player with vast potential,” Speakman said after Pembele’s loan move last summer. “We moved quickly to secure his signature but understood that he needed time to recover from an injury that was preceded by another lengthy spell out of action.

“Although he hasn’t yet managed to force his way into the team, he is now fully fit and has trained consistently. The next step is for him to play regularly in a competitive senior environment, and we believe this move will allow him to do that before returning to Sunderland next summer.”