At the end of a week during which one prodigiously talented former Sunderland midfielder was called into the England squad on the back of some encouraging form for Borussia Dortmund, it felt fitting that a player who, for all the world, seems to fit the bill as his natural replacement continued his impressive start to life in red and white as the Lads edged to a much-needed victory over Chelsea.
To briefly deviate from my main point, Jobe Bellingham’s continued rise is no surprise.
You could always
see that enormous potential during his spell in red and white and his induction into the England fold should be celebrated, and when Granit Xhaka exited stage left after a cameo against the Blues that barely surpassed the average length of a Ramones song, it was the turn of Jules Ahoka to enter the fray, to attempt to stamp his mark on a fraught occasion and hopefully demonstrate his talent to an even bigger audience.
And he did just that.
Make no mistake: being tasked with replacing Sunderland’s once-immovable captain yet a player whose lack of mobility and energy is posing a growing problem for Régis Le Bris could’ve swamped a lesser footballer, but Ahoka paid no attention to that, showing a hugely impressive degree of maturity, composure and awareness as he brought some much-needed dynamism to the Sunderland midfield.
Even on the most primitive level, you can see the similarities between Ahoka and Jobe.
They’re easy to spot and despite the fact that we sadly never got the opportunity to witness Bellingham playing Premier League football in red and white as he made a big-money move to Germany following promotion, it seems to have taken less than a year for our recruitment team to have snapped up his successor.
The towering frame, the powerful strides, the relentless work rate, the ability with the ball and the skill to get out of tight spaces…it’s all there, and after a summer during which Sunderland’s transfer business didn’t exactly set the footballing world alight, it’s not a stretch to say that Ahoka represents our most impressive piece of business after signing for what now feels like a bargain fee from Royal Antwerp.
Of course, the question of game time for the DR Congo prospect might be altogether trickier, not least because the Sunderland’s approach to managing one-time fringe players has been somewhat puzzling at times — Jocelin Ta Bi being a case in point.
In what was widely accepted as a high stakes and potentially definitive game, Le Bris gave Chemsdine Talbi a rare start on Sunday and the Moroccan didn’t let him down, with a wholehearted performance that seemed to answer a multitude of questions about his work rate and attitude, but after a display like this, how can Ahoka’s development realistically be stifled or kept in check?
I’m all for careful management of youngsters and of ensuring they’re not overplayed or exposed to challenges that might set them back, but Ahoka seems to possess a level of mental strength beyond his tender years, and at this level, that’s a priceless attribute.
He’d already made a good impression during Sunderland’s cup and European outings, but this was something different altogether and even though he took an early yellow card and possibly played within himself thereafter, he barely put a foot wrong, operating on the right side of the thin line between aggression and recklessness and looking every inch a top flight-class player as Sunderland recaptured the essence of what made them such a formidable opponent last season.
The idea that Xhaka has been “scapegoated” this season doesn’t stack up, not least because as our standard-setter and inspirational leader during 2025/2026, the focus of attention was always going to be intense this time around as we wondered whether the sentiments expressed during his infamous “We want more” speech would hold up.
Yes, he’s been criticised and his role within the team placed under an intense spotlight, but is that really unfair?
A protracted yet aborted move to Chelsea in the summer brought about some unwanted headlines and like many of his teammates (prior to Sunday, at least) the Swiss international simply wasn’t hitting the standards of 2025/2026. For the good of the team, and as we battle to escape the relegation zone and haul ourselves into a more stable position, little should be off the table regarding team selection and that includes the security of Xhaka’s position, as uncomfortable a truth as that may be.
In my view, Ahoka played like he was eager to prove a point on Sunday; as though he was determined to seize the chance that had fallen his way, and he certainly did that.
He’s far from the finished article and that’s actually quite exciting, but he looked utterly comfortable in such an environment and I’m hopeful that his performance against Chelsea will be viewed as his ‘proper’ arrival in a Sunderland shirt.
On a day when we needed big individual performances to be delivered right across the pitch, Ahoka was the player that stood tallest, and this feels like the start of what could be a fruitful period of his fledgling career. A superb display.
