Sunderland player Jewison Bennette reveals new agent ahead of likely transfer exit during January window
The Sunderland player has signed with a new agency company ahead of the January transfer window
Sunderland under-21 player Jewison Bennette has signed with a new agency ahead of the transfer window.
Despite joining as a highly-rated winger two summers ago, the Costa Rica international is yet to play in the Championship for Sunderland during the 2024-25 season and has been moved to left-back for Graeme Murty’s under-21 side.
Bennette made 15 Championship appearances during his maiden Championship season under Tony Mowbray and netted a memorable equalising goal away at Watford to earn the Black Cats a point during the 2022-23 campaign. Last season, the 20-year-old played just once in the league against Southampton, producing an impressive assist for Chris Rigg’s goal in the 5-0 win.
Bennette joined Greek side Aris on loan in the January of last season but once again found first-team opportunities hard to come by owing to form and injury issues and made just two league appearances for the Greek Super League club in six months.
First-team head coach Régis Le Bris made clear during the summer that he did not see Bennette as ready for regular Championship football. League One side Reading were linked with a loan move but the deal did not happen, with the Royals doing very little business in the closing stages of the window as a takeover of the club dragged on.
Despite the injury to Romaine Mundle, Bennette has not been included in a first-team matchday squad this season and was last seen on senior duty against Preston North End in the Carabao Cup at the beginning of the current campaign.
With Tommy Watson now out for two months and Mundle not yet back, it will be interesting to see whether Le Bris offers Bennette a way back into the fold, though the feeling on Wearside is that the player is likely to leave during the winter window.
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Indeed, Bennette has now signed a deal with Link Sports to be represented by the company ahead of the January transfer widow. The company describe themselves as a “world-leading agency with a big track record of major international transfers”.
Their bio continues: “Link's founder is the former Barcelona representative for the Americas – Andre Cury. With several top players under our management, our group has established itself with a history of relevant transfers to major leagues around the world.”
“It's difficult because we felt that he needed senior football, and of course, with the under-21s he is still playing youth football,” Le Bris said about Bennette back in September.
“But he can train with the senior team and have this kind of game, so it's only four months and then we can see after that. We can try to see how he plays at left-back, it is still useful for his development and his experiences. I don't think it's his position but he can learn there in games like this.”