Régis Le Bris makes interesting double transfer admission after Sunderland’s loss to Preston
Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris answered two interesting transfer questions after Sunderland’s loss to Preston North End in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening at Deepdale.
Le Bris opted to start 20-year-old Zak Johnson at right-back for the clash after an impressive spell on loan at Dundalk last season. The defender has recently expressed a desire to play as many games as possible during the 2024-25 season and hinted he could look to leave on loan once again.
Sunderland’s head coach, however, sounded keen to keep Johnson at the club but stopped short of saying that the former Hartlepool United player was unavailable for loan, admitting the Wearsiders could look for a move for him.
“He played as a right-back today, so it’s a different position for him,” Le Bris said when asked about Johnson and his future at Sunderland this season by The Echo. “I think centre-back is his best position. He still wants to learn, he’s at his best 100 per cent all the time, so I like this kind of player.”
“The competition in this position is high at the club, so we’ll see if it’s better for him and for the club to go on loan or not. I like this personality who is always involved in the game, in the training session as well.”
Le Bris was also asked about the future of ex-PSG man Timothee Pembele, who was left out of the squad to face Preston. “Yes, we are looking for a possibility of a loan for him,” Le Bris said when asked by The Echo about Pembele.
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Why Ian Poveda was absent from the Sunderland squad again despite not being ‘injured or unfit’
Sunderland fell to their first defeat of the season yesterday as they were beaten 2-0 by Preston North End.
The Black Cats put out a fully changed starting line-up from the team that beat Cardiff City at the weekend.
Most of Sunderland’s fringe players featured, as they were given the opportunity to stake their claim for a place in the senior squad for the rest of the season.
Most of them failed in their mission to impress though, with Chris Rigg and Romaine Mundle the only two that really caught the eye.
Abdoullah Ba arguably forced himself even further out of the picture after missing a sitter in the first half.
The Frenchman looks set to be behind Ian Poveda in the pecking order this term, with the Colombian arriving on a free transfer over the summer.
Poveda is yet to make his debut for Sunderland though, having once again been left out of the match-day squad for the trip to Deepdale.
Poveda could make Sunderland debut this weekend
Last week, Regis Le Bris claimed that he could be available ‘in 10 days or a maximum of two weeks’, which could see him make his debut either this weekend against Sheffield Wednesday or against Burnley the following week.
Journalist Michael Graham has now explained why he has been absent, claiming that he isn’t even injured.
He wrote on X: “Being ultra cautious with him given his history. Not injured, or unfit, but want to make sure he’s robost enough before using him.”
