What Régis Le Bris and Florent Ghisolfi have said about Chemsdine Talbi amid Sunderland selection debate
Régis Le Bris and Florent Ghisolfi have both backed Chemsdine Talbi, but his lack of Sunderland minutes continues to raise questions
Chemsdine Talbi has found himself at the centre of a growing selection debate at Sunderland after remaining on the bench during successive Premier League defeats against Brighton and Bournemouth.
Supporters chanted the winger’s name at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday, with Talbi subsequently thanking fans for their backing on Instagram. His lack of opportunities has prompted questions, particularly after his match-winning performance against Hull City in the Carabao Cup last month.
Here is what both Le Bris and Florent Ghisolfi have said on Talbi, from the decision to keep him to the latest explanation of his situation:
September 8: Ghisolfi confirms Talbi will stay and explains European omission
Ghisolfi confirmed Talbi would remain at Sunderland following conversations with interested clubs. He also explained why the winger had been left out of the Europa League squad while a departure remained possible.
“Chemsdine will stay with us 100%. Of course, he had interest, and we had some conversations with very good clubs. That's why he was not in the Europa League list, because we had to make choices. Because we were in conversations, if we put him on the list and after that he was left, we could lose this slot for eight games.
“So it was painful because we don't have a lot of club-trained players. So yeah, that's why we took this decision. But at the end, he will stay with us, and we are very happy because I think we all know the potential that Chemsdine has, and also the versatility: he can play on the left, can play on the right, and can play also behind the striker.”
“At the end, when you have a transfer, you need three signatures. So we were all speaking what is the best for the boy first, what is the best if Sunderland can be happy with this transfer. And at the end, if he stays, it's because Sunderland and Chemsdine wants to continue together.”
September 8: Le Bris praises Hull winner and potential new role
Talbi scored the only goal against Hull in the Carabao Cup, finishing a surging run with a composed chip. Operating behind the striker, he gave Le Bris another option to consider. Asked how pleased he was to keep Talbi, Le Bris said: “It’s really positive, we know this window can talk and we can have different conversations about the future. Now it’s done, it’s really clear.
“I was also interested by this new position because I feel he can play off the left and play off the right. He showed in the past he can be a good winger but also just under the striker. He has this space and this ability to exploit big spaces. Even after 50 or 60 metres he stayed composed to finish. He had this first chance just at the end of first half and the second one was fantastic.”
September 11: A shared decision and praise for his commitment
In comments published on September 11, Le Bris explained that Sunderland and Talbi had agreed it was the wrong moment for him to leave. Injuries to Romaine Mundle and Habib Diarra had also affected Sunderland’s attacking options.
“It was the same schedule [with the injuries], I would say,” Le Bris said. “But at the end of the day, it was a shared decision. It was clear that it wasn't the best moment to leave for him, for us, so we are aligned. It was a consensus. He showed against Hull that he's all in with us, no doubt. It's impressive for a young guy because you can say what you want, but this period is always hard to manage.
“But after the end of the market in Saudi, it's done. Now he’s switched on with Sunderland 100 per cent. It was impressive. His position is versatile — he has the space, the ability to run on the right side under the striker [as a ten] and to manage transitions really well. It's another option for the manager and the coaching staff. I think it's really positive.”
“He's getting more mature — we had this conversation with Riggy as well,” he said. “Riggy is still 18, Chemsdine is 21, they're so young. They are impressive because they can switch on really quickly, absorb this period with different options. Playing football at the best level requires freedom, to be relaxed, and they can switch so quickly. It's impressive.”
October 9: Tommy Watson comparison and competition for places
Despite that praise, Talbi continued to struggle for league opportunities. In comments published on October 9, ahead of the Brighton game, Le Bris acknowledged that the winger had endured a difficult period.
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“It's not been an easy situation, to be fair, but we are all involved to solve and fix this situation because it's for him and it's for us. I was thinking about Tommy Watson lately when we spoke about the good moments during the 100 games I've had here. Tommy was a good example. He struggled when he signed to Brighton and had a difficult period, but we stayed true to our beliefs. We reconnected him with the squad, and finally he was the scorer just at the end of the season. For Chemsdine, it's exactly the same process. We had a tough period, that's fair, but we took the most of it to get better.”
“One of the main drivers for the start of the season and how we approached it was the momentum we got last season,” he said. “I was really well aligned with the starting XI at the end of last season and Nilson was really good at that period. We went again with him, and then Malick was recruited as well. We know Chemsdine's qualities, but he's also young and needs more maturity. He's just in this period, and we need to work with him and keep improving.”