Sunderland have had a solid start to their second season back in the Premier League after a win, a draw, and a loss in the opening three matches.
The Black Cats held Brentford to a 1-1 draw away from home in the division last weekend, thanks to Enzo Le Fee scoring from the penalty spot late on after Vitaly Janelt had given the hosts the lead.
He has been the club’s most productive attacking outlet since the start of the 2025/26 campaign for Regis Le Bris‘ side, racking up seven goals and six assists in all competitions.
The French attacking midfielder scored five goals, created 13 ‘big chances’, and provided six assists in 36 appearances in the Premier League last term.
Why Enzo Le Fee needs support at Sunderland
As impressive as Le Fee has been, the Frenchman has been part of an attack that is yet to reach the level of the other teams competing at the top end of the table.
The Black Cats have yet to score multiple goals in a game this season, scoring once in each of their three league outings, and have not scored twice in a match since their 2-1 win over Chelsea at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
Despite finishing seventh, Sunderland did not have an outstanding attacking unit last season. In fact, they ranked 18th for xG (38.9) and 17th for goals scored (42) on their way to qualifying for the Europa League.
|
25/26 Premier League |
Sunderland |
Rank |
|---|---|---|
|
Goals per game |
1.1 |
17th |
|
xG |
38.9 |
18th |
|
Big chances |
64 |
17th |
|
Big chances missed |
42 |
16th |
|
Accurate crosses |
3.1 |
19th |
|
xG conceded |
54.4 |
12th |
|
Goals conceded per game |
1.3 |
4th |
They ranked highly in defensive statistics, rarely conceding goals, but they were among the worst teams in the league for creating chances and scoring goals, which shows where they need to improve to take the team to the next level.
Last season, Sunderland lacked a consistent winger who could provide an exciting threat as a scorer and a creator, as they once had with Jack Clarke, who scored 28 goals and provided 23 assists during his time at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland may have found their most exciting talent since Jack Clarke
The start to the current campaign, though, suggests that the Black Cats may have unearthed their most exciting talent since they had Clarke on the books on Wearside.
In Clarke’s last season with the club, he excited supporters on a regular basis with 15 goals and four assists in 40 matches in the Championship.
Le Fee has been a brilliant player for the club, particularly in the Premier League, but he is not a traditionally exciting player who drives at players with the ball, averaging 0.4 completed dribbles per game in the division last term.
Nilson Angulo, signed from Anderlecht for a fee of around £17m in February, is that kind of player as a natural winger who looks to commit defenders and progress the play for his side at every opportunity.
The 23-year-old attacker had a slow start to life at the Stadium of Light in the second half of the 2025/26 campaign, starting just five times in the Premier League, as he adapted to life and football in England.
After a period at the World Cup with Ecuador and a pre-season with Le Bris, the winger has hit the ground running at the start of the current season, starting all three of the club’s matches so far.
Angulo has started the campaign in even more impressive form than Le Fee, despite his penalty goal against Brentford, scoring one of the club’s only two goals from open play in the defeat to Ipswich Town.
|
26/27 Premier League |
Le Fee |
Angulo |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
3 |
3 |
|
Non-penalty goals |
0 |
1 |
|
Cross accuracy |
17% |
17% |
|
Assists |
0 |
0 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
1.3 |
1.7 |
|
Dribble success rate |
44% |
71% |
|
Ground duel success rate |
52% |
61% |
|
Dribbled past per game |
0.7x |
2.0x |
He has been better than the Frenchman, who is yet to produce a goal contribution from open play, as he has been stronger in his duels and more effective in his efforts to dribble past opposition defenders.
Angulo is the kind of player who gets supporters off their feet, as Clarke once did on the left flank, because of how impressive he is as a dribbler, completing 71% of his dribbles this term.
The £17m-rated star completed two of his three attempted dribbles against Brentford and three of his four dribbles in the 1-0 win over Fulham, showing that opposition full-backs find it incredibly difficult to get the ball off him.
Angulo’s return of six goals and five assists in 22 Pro League games for Anderlecht in the first-half of the 2025/26 campaign also suggests that he has the potential to deliver consistent quality in the final third for the Black Cats now that he has found his stride.
Therefore, the winger could be the club’s most exciting player since Clarke because he can offer both style and substance on the wing for Sunderland, whilst also being more effective and more exciting than Le Fee so far this season.