Wilson Isidor reveals Sunderland transfer truth and key Kyril Louis-Dreyfus talks behind new contract decision
Wilson Isidor has opened up on the transfer speculation around his Sunderland future and the talks that convinced him to sign a new contract
Wilson Isidor has brushed aside the transfer speculation that surrounded his Sunderland future this summer and revealed the role Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Régis Le Bris played in convincing him to sign a new contract.
The striker was repeatedly linked with a move away before committing his future to Sunderland this week. Asked directly whether he had ever come close to leaving, Isidor insisted his focus remained on football and pointed to the backing he continued to receive from the owner, head coach and club hierarchy.
“Yeah, media do their work; me, I do my work on the job. That's the most important thing for me. I had the confidence of the club, the confidence of the coach, and as I say to the owner, Kyril, thank you for confirming the confidence you got into me.
“It's making me more confident and giving me more desire to help the team even more. Now I'm going to focus on me because I know that the club trust me – the owner, the club, the direction. And now we have to do our job to say thanks to the fans and do our best in the league.”
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Le Bris was a major part of the decision to stay. Isidor again made clear how much he values the Sunderland head coach for backing him at a difficult stage of his career. “Of course, he's really big into that,” Isidor added after the Fulham game.”
The striker continued: “As a reminder to everybody, he came to pick me up when nobody wanted me. So I always give him a lot of respect for that, even if I was not playing a lot last year. But he was always behind me, talking to me, so he's a great person.
“So today I'm happy to give him the win. He's also been very important for the decision of my new contract because we had a lot of discussion. I told him that I didn't want to live the same season I had last season. And yeah, he's been important, so I hope that we're going to keep doing a good job together.”