The summer of 2021 could be described as the period when Sunderland’s fortunes really began to change. A few months earlier, Kristjaan Speakman had been appointed as Sporting Director, and Kyril-Louis Dreyfus had bought a significant portion of the club. In May, a squad featuring the talents of luminaries such as Josh Scowen, Callum McFadzean, Remi Matthews and Jordan Jones had fallen to defeat at the hands of Lincoln City in the League One playoff semifinal.
WARNING – YOU MAY FIND THE BELOW IMAGE DISTRESSING!
In the summer transfer window, the first signs of the approach that would be taken under Speakman began to emerge – the experienced Corry Evans was recruited to provide some much-needed midfield nous, and Alex Pritchard became the first of the players whose flagging careers would enjoy a renaissance at the Stadium of Light, blazing the trail for the likes of Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke to follow.
But the focus was very much on recruiting youthful prospects, rather than the lower league journeymen who had failed to get us out of League One. Niall Huggins and Dennis Cirkin arrived on permanent deals, and the squad was bolstered by several promising on-loan youngsters. Frederik Alves made little impact but Callum Doyle and Nathan Broadhead would go on to play significant roles in propelling the side to the playoffs. The loan arrivals of Leon Dajaku and Ron-Thorben Hoffman from Germany were the first indication of how wide Speakman would spread his scouting and recruitment net.
However, in preseason, it was an Academy prospect and local lad who caught the eye – Dan Neil quickly proved that he was capable of earning his place in Lee Johnson’s team. So, when the bank balance took its annual hit after the kit launches, I began what has become a tradition of having the name and number of a promising young player, who I thought would have a great future at Sunderland, on the back of my away shirt.
I can’t really explain why – I don’t know if it makes any difference to a young player that some old bloke thinks they might become a star – but I still do it.
In 2022, it was newly-signed Dan Ballard whose name and number adorned the pale blue shirt, and Chris Rigg was given the honour for the 2023 pink and purple kit. Romaine Mundle appears on the 2024 hummel reworking of the classic 1992 shirt and last season’s beautiful blue away offering bears the number 7 and the name Talbi. So, overall, I think I have a pretty decent record, with Neil going on to captain the Lads to promotion from the Championship, and Rigg, Ballard and Talbi now proven Premier League players!
This week my pink and black Elvis shirt arrived, with the number 10 on the back. So why am I backing Nilson Angulo to make his mark this season, and go on to have a big future at Sunderland?
Well, firstly, he is the archetypal Régis Le Bris winger – a grafter who works hard at both ends of the pitch. As Simon Adingra has found out to his cost, Le Bris requires his wingers to be as intrinsic a part of the team’s defence, as much as he expects them to create at the top end. Angulo clearly understands that – he is persistent, he can tackle without giving away silly fouls and, in combination with Reinildo and Noah Sadiki, he can effectively shut down the threat from any opposing side’s right wing.
Secondly, at 6 feet tall, he has a strong physique, a good heading technique and is a useful addition when defending set pieces, with an overall 50% success rate for aerial duels. That places him in the 86th percentile, compared to other attacking midfielders and wingers, showing he is highly efficient in the air for his position. His physical presence alone may prove a very useful attribute if we draw some cloggers in the Europa League group stages.
Thirdly, as his 25-yard World Cup strike against Germany proved, the lad loves to hit the ball! In half a season at Anderlecht, before his move to the Stadium of Light in February, Angulo registered 17 shots on goal, with 11 on target, scoring 6 times. Le Bris’ tactics in preseason have indicated that the team will seek to progress the ball more quickly through midfield in the coming season, and the likes of Enzo Le Fée have clearly been encouraged to shoot more frequently from distance when the opportunity arises. That is something which will suit Angulo’s skillset.
Many will make the argument that Chemsdine Talbi ought to be Sunderland’s starting left winger, and there is a perfectly good case for that. But Le Bris is a coach who uses his squad intelligently – his approach is more akin to the ‘starters and finishers’ mentality which prevails in Rugby Union.
There will be few teams who will relish the thought of being battered by Brobbey and stretched by Angulo for 60/70/80 minutes, only to find their tiring defenders faced with a fired-up Talbi and Wilson Isidor’s deceptively languid striking threat. With the confidence of a strong World Cup campaign behind him, I’m backing the young Ecuadorian to play a big role in the coming season.
So come on, Nilson – Sunderland expects that every man will do his duty!