Sunderland's new signing Pierre Ekwah says the club's commitment to developing young talent convinced him to swap West Ham for Wearside. The Black Cats have this evening confirmed the midfielder as their first signing of the January transfer window.
The 21-year-old former France youth international has joined for an undisclosed fee, and has signed a four-and-a-half year contract which ties him to the Wearsiders until the summer of 2027. "The history and vision of the club really attracted me and I'm delighted to be here," said Ekwah, who is expected to be available for Sunderland's FA Cup fourth round tie at Fulham on Saturday.
"I see myself as a number eight who can handle the ball well, but I can also do the defensive side of the game. It's great to see the club trusting young players and that's something that really appealed to me – it seems a great environment for me to develop as both a person and a player, and I can't wait to get started."
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Black Cats head coach Tony Mowbray added: "We are delighted to get the deal done and welcome Pierre to Sunderland. He is a player we have been monitoring for some time, and we believe he will add something different to the dynamic of our midfield.
"Having met him, he has a brilliant personality – he wants to get better and show he can play first-team football. He brings a level of physicality and we're really looking forward to working with him."
Ekwah grew up near Paris and played for RC Arpajonnais, Bretigny FCS and CFF Paris at youth level, as well as spending three years at France's Clairefontaine national football academy, whose alumni include the likes of Thierry Henry, Kylian Mbappe, and Olivier Giroud. Ekwah played for French side Nantes before moving to Chelsea in 2018, and then on to West Ham in 2021, although he has not played a first-team game since moving to England.
He joins a small but growing French contingent on Wearside, with Edouard Michut having arrived from Paris St Germain and Abdoullah Ba from Le Havre, both in the August transfer window.
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