An update has emerged on Sunderland and their pursuit of Jewison Bennette in the summer transfer window…
What’s the talk?
Journalist Kevin Jimenez has claimed that the Black Cats will be paying a fee in the region of £1m to land the young winger this week, making him the club’s 7th signing.
He Tweeted: “According to my sources in England, the sale of Brandon Aguilera to Nottingham Forest was $2 million while that of Jewison Bennette was $1.3 million to Sunderland.”
This comes after Roker Report’s Danny Roberts provided an update on the deal, Tweeting:
“Jewison Bennette set to fly to England tomorrow to complete medical tests on Wednesday, ahead of move to Sunderland. ‘100% done – 4 year deal.’ Move been agreed since last week and I’m told the move doesn’t include a loan back clause.”
Imagine him & Alex Pritchard
Bennette would arrive at the Stadium of Light as a teenager with no experience outside of his own country and this means that it may take him time to settle into life in England.
Will Bennette be a good signing?
The Black Cats may need to be patient with him because of his age and lack of exposure at first team level. This means that easing him into the squad in the coming weeks could be the best way to go for Alex Neil, as it would allow him to acclimatise to his new setting before being chucked into action.
Journalist Josh Bunting has, however, hailed the move as a worthwhile gamble, Tweeting: “Jewison Bennette Costa Rica’s youngest capped player, there’s obviously quality in there. It’s an interesting move and shows we are looking in all different kinds of markets. 2 goals in 4 matches for Herediano so far, don’t know anything about him but it’s a risk I would take.”
The 18-year-old has been capped six times by his country and racked up three goals and five assists in 35 senior club appearances, showing that he has had a rapid progression at such a young age as this is his third season in the first team.
One way that the club can help him to adjust to playing in England could be to set him a mentor and who better than Alex Pritchard?
The former Norwich man is experienced in English football and is a quality attacking player who could impart his wisdom to the young winger this season.
Pritchard has played 253 league matches in his career – in the Premier League, Championship, and League One – and has been superb for Sunderland since arriving last year.
This season, only Ellis Simms (8.15) has averaged a higher SofaScore rating than the attacking midfielder (7.67) in the Black Cats squad. He was also second to Ross Stewart in the ratings for the 2021/22 campaign and this suggests that the experienced maestro is one of the club’s top performers – ranking top in that category last term and in the current campaign out of all the midfielders.
Therefore, he could be the perfect player to take Bennette under his wing this season to help him adapt to English football, as Pritchard knows the level inside and out and can play a part in the youngster’s development.
