'It was a risk' - £7.6m Pierre Ekwah teammate turned down Sunderland transfer bid

AS Saint-Étienne striker Lucas Stassin has revealed that he received an offer to join Sunderland during the summer transfer window, but turned it down because he was unsure of the Black Cats’ promotion prospects this season.

The 19-year-old was on the books at Belgian Pro League outfit KVC Westerlo before signing for his current employers in a deal worth around £7.6 million on deadline day. But according to the player himself, prior to making the switch, he was the subject of interest from Wearside.

Speaking to Belgian outlet La Derniere Heure, he said: “Westerlo had set a high price for my transfer, everything went crazy in the last days of the transfer window. First there was Sunderland. Saint-Étienne arrived a little later. I first thought about the English offer. The division two [Championship] there is a very good championship but it was difficult to see if Sunderland would be able to play at the top. The ambition is to reach the Premier League but it was a risk. At Saint-Étienne, Ligue 1 was assured and I immediately liked the speech of the leaders.”

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Stassin joined KVC Westerlo in the summer of 2023 from Belgian giants Anderlecht, and enjoyed a successful stint in the yellow and blue, registering 11 goals and assisting six more across 32 outings in all competitions. He also became one of the youngest goal-scorers in Westerlo’s history when he found the back of the net in a 2-2 draw with KAS Eupen last July.

Having signed for Saint-Étienne, Stassin will link up with Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah, who also completed a deadline day move to the Ligue 1 club. Speaking recently about the 22-year-old’s exit from the Stadium of Light, manager Regis Le Bris said: “Here at Sunderland, we have quite a few players available in midfield. In itself, we didn’t have an urgent need to have Pierre with us. He felt he needed a new environment to continue to develop, and so did we. His loan actually makes sense.

“When the planets are no longer aligned and everyone realises it, there’s no point in lying to ourselves. That doesn’t call into question the quality of the player or the quality of the environment at Sunderland. It’s just the way the story goes.”