Towards the end of pre-season, Régis Le Bris discussed Enzo Le Fée’s omission from what seemed to be his “preferred” starting eleven with an air of sadness.
When Granit Xhaka joined and immediately came
in to sit at the base of midfield against Real Betis, he was flanked by Noah Sadiki and Habib Diarra, not Le Fée. A week later, when half of the group travelled to southern Bavaria for a split-squad friendly, he was left at home to face Rayo Vallecano the day after, with what was generally believed to be the backup.
While at Lorient, Le Bris himself called Le Fée his “crown jewel” — feelings reciprocated by Enzo, who’s previously described the head coach as a “father figure”. However, despite all this, he was named on the substitutes’ bench for the opening game of the season against West Ham.
It was a seismic decision, a call described by Le Bris as “one of the toughest decisions” he’s had to make in his career, but since then, Enzo has forced his way back into the team, excelling once again as a left winger.
When discussing it, Le Bris was typically candid..
We spoke together. So when Granit came in the squad, it was obvious that it was the best decision at that minute.
We had the conversation, it was tough, but it was clear and honest… and when the opportunity came off the left, because he used to play in this position before, it was easy for him.
Since his reintroduction, he’s picked up just a pair of goal involvements — a penalty and a lay-off for Xhaka’s equaliser against Everton — but his overall pace of play, ball-carrying and creativity have impressed just as we all expected. He has the most touches in the attacking third, the most through balls, joint-most goal-creating actions and second-most shot-creating actions (the latter two both alongside Xhaka).
However, what we perhaps didn’t expect when we all lauded the signing of Le Fée in January would be his impact and work rate off the ball. We saw glimpses last season, with his passion bursting out as he celebrated winning a foul high up the pitch towards the end of the win at Wembley.
Now, a league above and ten games in, Enzo isn’t just a magician but the man leading the entire team in tackles, interceptions, and turnovers in the final third. He’s an integral part of our attacking press and the identity that pervades the entire squad, exemplifying the connection between players and fans that’s conspicuous throughout Sunderland.
Tactically, we don’t employ an all-out press that you’d see Brighton or an old Jurgen Klopp side utilise, but just an initial burst from the attacking four players as the rest of the team match the opposition man-on-man. It’s designed to restrict progression through central areas and try to squeeze the opposition out wide into narrow channels — to pin them in.
In the second half against Everton, this was particularly brave as we all know of Jordan Pickford’s unique ability to find a teammate from long passes — this season, he’s the only goalkeeper in the entire league more successful at doing so than our very own Robin Roefs.
Enzo is vital to this initial press, having completed twenty two tackles this season and sitting in the 94th percentile for all Premier League players. There are already numerous videos circulating on social media of his tackles, harasses, harries and his passes (du du du du).
However, is this really all that surprising?
He’s the man who practically dragged us up; the player who turned into an absolute demon for the final thirty minutes at Wembley, playing in an unfamiliar deeper role (at Sunderland, anyway). At just 5’7, he stood tallest with a sharp intake of breath as he swung in the most important corner of his career — and was so determined to stay at Sunderland, with Le Bris, in the Premier League.
Le Fée has also suffered significant tragedy and difficulty in his own life, with the well-known passing of his late father, Jérémy Lampriere, by suicide when Enzo himself was just eighteen.
He found his father dead in his room, but kept it to himself because he was so determined to make something of himself; to carry on and battle through it all. His father is his idol, but he also spent time in prison for several drug and gang-related crimes committed in Northern France. It’s something that Enzo has battled with his entire life and career, and he’s been shaped by this experience — both as a person and a footballer.
Last season, he showed the determination and drive to make it to the top flight, and now it’s his time to prove he can be Sunderland’s determined magician, leading us in the Premier League:
How much has it impacted me? Phew, a lot, when I was three he put me directly on the pitch. He was a great player.
When I was six, I said to him, your path has taken the bad way, I will keep the good way.
