Young, Ekwah, Triantis - How are Sunderland players faring during loan spells so far this season

It’s promising to be a busy festive period for Sunderland players everywhere - both on Wearside and further afield. Alongside Regis Le Bris’ promotion chasers, the Black Cats also have several talents out on loan at the time of writing, with a whole host of stories unfolding.

With that in mind, here is a round-up of Sunderland’s current loanee contingent and how they’re getting on at their new clubs...

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Matty Young

The teenage goalkeeper continues to go from strength to strength for Salford City. Having forced his way into the Ammies’ starting XI, he has been nothing short of exemplary ever since, and has conceded just one goal in five League Two outings across December. Most recently, he kept yet another clean sheet in Salford’s 3-0 Boxing Day win over Barrow, playing a key role in his side’s third as he booted a ball the full length of the pitch before it was coolly slotted away by Kylian Kouassi.

Pierre Ekwah

Ekwah and his Saint Etienne teammates have been on the wrong end of some painful hidings already this season, and the most recent came last Sunday, when they were beaten 4-0 by Marseille in the Coupe de France. Still, he has established himself as a key presence for his new club, and has largely drawn praise for his performances in France.

The midfielder seems settled too. Speaking earlier this month, he said: “It’s weird. I feel like I belong to Saint-Etienne. In my head, I’m not on loan. But, when I’m asked the question, I have to answer that I’m on loan. I’m between two clubs. Will I stay? I can’t give an answer. In my mind, the question of staying is on the table. We’ll see. There, we are talking about [the feeling of] belonging. I belong to two clubs. The players and the staff never made me feel like I was on loan. When I arrived, I said to myself; ‘I’m here for a long time.”

Nectar Triantis

Another who seems to be thriving out on loan, Triantis has been transformed into a battling defensive midfielder by Hibernian, and continues to catch the eye in Scotland. He even bagged his first goal contribution just before Christmas, registering an assist in a 3-1 win over Aberdeen.

Luis Hemir

Look, Hemir isn’t going to be winning any golden boots any time soon, but things are starting to click for him at Juventus’ Next Gen side. The rangy striker scored his second goal in 17 matches just before Christmas, with his first coming at the start of December.

Timothee Pembele

Pembele had to wait a long time to make his debut for Le Havre, but he seems to be a key member of the French side’s starting XI. Since the end of October, he has made seven appearances out of the last eight in Ligue 1, but has lost six of those outings. Like Ekwah, he also has been speaking about his loan recently, stating: “I really didn’t think that Le Havre would come looking for me! I was in second division in England, I wasn’t playing, and I thought I’d go back to Ligue 2. I have confidence in myself, I know I have the ability to play in Ligue 1, but in today’s football, when a player doesn’t play, he’s quickly forgotten.

“When my agent told me that Le Havre were interested in me, I said straight out, ‘Let’s go! I didn’t look to see where I stood in the pecking order, I just said to myself, I’m going, I’m fighting, and we’ll see what happens!”

Nathan Bishop

Currently on loan at Wycombe Wanderers, the goalkeeper has had his game time massively scuppered by an injury he sustained in the early stages of the campaign.

Jay Matete

By contrast, Matete has been seeing plenty of minutes in League One. The 23-year-old has made 19 league appearances of Bolton Wanderers this term, but was absent from the Boxing Day defeat at the hands of Barnsley.

Oli Bainbridge

The young defender has endured a testing time with Kilmarnock so far. His only two Scottish Premiership starts have come against Celtic and Rangers, with Killie shipping a total of 10 goals without reply across those two matches. Aside from that, Bainbridge has been limited to cameos and cup appearances.

Ben Crompton

The versatile defender recently extended his stay with non-league Tamworth, where he looks to have settled in very swiftly and very well.

Caden Kelly

Kelly had a very, very productive Boxing Day, scoring a brace and bagging an assist for new club Darlington against fellow National League North outfit Scarborough. Those goal contributions come off the back of a first strike at the back end of November.

Adam Richardson

Another young goalkeeper who has impressed of late, Richardson is currently on the books at Blyth Spartans. In a recent interview, manager Michael Connor said: “The current agreement comes to an end in January but we are hoping to get it extended until the end of the season. However, Sunderland might have Football League clubs looking at Adam so that’s complicates it from our point of view. We would love to have him until the end of the season because he has been fantastic for us since we brought him in.”