When Jocelin Ta-Bi arrived at Sunderland during the January 2026 transfer window, he arrived amid a fanfare involving rival clubs and the political allegiances of his parent side, Maccabi Netanya, and their ties to current world events. Celtic had reportedly agreed a fee for the young Ivory Coast winger on the recommendation of Martin O’Neill, only to see the club stall over supposed issues with his medical, alongside fan backlash over the recipient of the transfer funds.
Sunderland, knowing they
could afford to give Ta-Bi time to recover from his injury without the need for an immediate impact, swooped in at the eleventh hour to secure Jocelin on a four-and-a-half-year deal, labelling him as a true ‘one for the future’. A reported fee of £3.5m (€4.0m) was paid for the youngster in what felt like Sunderland’s first real draft-and-stash signing of the Premier League era – players who may feature very little in the first team but could potentially go on to turn the club a profit down the line, supporting their sustainable business model.
Fast forward to November 2026 and, after several loan moves away broke down and a work permit was denied for Sunderland’s pre-season tour, Jocelin Ta-Bi has found himself on the lips of many football pundits after putting in an eye-watering display in Sunderland’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Brentford.
So the question we’re all asking is: what did the club see in Jocelin back in January, and why does he have such a unique skill set that made us move so early for him?
Technical Anomaly
Jocelin started his career in his native Ivory Coast before making the eye-catching move to Beitar Nes Tubruk as a youngster to further his dream of making it at professional level, following in the footsteps of his cousin, who made a similar move away from his African homeland. From a young age, Ta-Bi stood out from his age group, quickly gaining the attention of Maccabi Netanya in the Israeli Premier League. Following his signing on 1 August 2024, he was loaned out to neighbouring side Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C., who had dropped into the second division of Israeli football and really gave Jocelin a platform to flourish.
Starting off the right as a true ‘left-footed right winger’ Jocelin quickly gained traction for his ability to dribble the balStarting off on the right as a true ‘left-footed right winger’, Jocelin quickly gained traction for his ability to dribble the ball incredibly close to his feet, often providing his side with an outlet to relieve pressure. In a season which ultimately saw Petah Tikva promoted back to the top flight, Ta-Bi made 27 league appearances, contributing to five goals in the process.
Despite the promotion, as Petah Tikva had secured Ta-Bi on an initial two-year loan, he was now competing in the same division as his parent club as he started the campaign in the Israeli top flight, gaining his first real experience of top-division football at a young age. In just 12 appearances during the 2025/26 campaign, he surpassed the record for completed dribbles/take-ons previously held by Manor Solomon, formerly of Spurs and Leeds and now at West Ham.
With such a unique skill set of tight, technical ball control paired with electric pace, Jocelin had all the attributes to be a high-level creative winger once he refined the finishing aspect of his game. Known for sometimes rushing his decision-making in the final third, Sunderland saw the building blocks of a potentially top talent who could flourish in the right environment.
International Stage
After a quiet integration and recovery period on Wearside, Régis Le Bris saw enough from Ta-Bi to hand the youngster his first minutes in an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Port Vale, bringing him on for the final 15 minutes as Sunderland ultimately bowed out of the competition. Despite this, in limited minutes he showed a raw willingness to drive at defenders and, in the following weeks, Le Bris rewarded him with his first start against Fulham, only for him to suffer a knee injury which kept him out for the remainder of the season.
During the summer, Ta-Bi was given the chance to represent his national side at the 2026 Maurice Revello Tournament for U20 future stars. The tournament also happened to feature a certain Jules Ahoka captaining his DR Congo side, which finished fourth behind the Ivory Coast. Jocelin put in standout performances throughout the tournament, finishing with four goals and ranking second in the Golden Boot race. He showed a variety of finishes, including a smart free-kick and left-footed and right-footed near-post finishes, which caught the eye as a sign of his development.
Ivory Coast ultimately won 3-1 in the third-place play-off against DR Congo, with both Jocelin and Ahoka playing the full 90 minutes. Ahoka ended the tournament by being crowned its rising star.
Pre-Season & Failed Exit
Jocelin returned for pre-season and featured in Sunderland’s opening friendly matches in the UK, with the expectation that he would start on the right wing whilst Sunderland embarked on their US tour and awaited the return of their World Cup stars following their extended break.
Unfortunately, he was not granted a travel visa and therefore had to remain on Wearside whilst the rest of the youth players went abroad. Consequently, it pushed Jocelin down the pecking order, with no real game time to showcase his development, and resulted in Le Bris confirming that the youngster might leave on loan for more consistent minutes as the transfer window drew to a close. It’s been widely reported that, after travelling down to Burnley on deadline day, Ta-Bi was almost about to make a permanent switch to Turf Moor before Burnley got cold feet at the last minute, resulting in a return to Wearside to work on his craft.
With no inclusion in Sunderland’s Europa League squad, Ta-Bi was relying solely on opportunities in the League Cup and Premier League to prove his worth, and so far he’s delivered whenever given the chance.
EFL Cup
In Sunderland’s third-round tie against Hull City, Jocelin was handed his first start of the season and looked to force his way into Le Bris’ plans, given his reluctance to utilise a natural right winger out there, and left a positive impression. Despite not picking up any goals or assists, Ta-Bi was crucial in relieving pressure on Sunderland by acting as an outlet to break up play and slow the game down. He was fouled a match-high eight times during the game and was a real saviour when Sunderland were looking to get out.
He finished the game with a tidy 94% pass accuracy, as well as the most touches in the opposition box (six) of all outfield players that match. He won 10 of 16 duels and showed bursts of real pace against a fellow Premier League outfit, demonstrating that he’s got the raw attributes to compete at the highest level.
Where he really shone was in the fourth-round tie against Brentford, stealing the show against a pretty strong Brentford side. He put in a true Man of the Match performance, leading many pundits to sit up and take note of the young star. He registered two assists (although it’s harsh not to give him the third), created the most ‘big chances’ in the game and recorded a 66% dribble success rate, as well as another eye-watering six fouls won.
One to Watch
Whilst a lot is made of the usual ‘player trading model’, which involves clubs often having to sell their best players for lucrative profits to keep the sustainability model going, another way Brighton can continue producing talent is through the stashing and selling of young players for more modest fees. This allows them to retain their top-end talent for longer. If some of those youngsters eventually break through, with Mitoma and Mac Allister being two prime examples, then great – Sunderland have found another starting-calibre winger from nowhere. If they don’t, akin to someone like Simon Adingra during his time at Brighton, then there’s often still good resale value in these assets to continue the overall sustainability model.
Whether Ta-Bi has shown he’s capable of a long-term future at Sunderland will likely be demonstrated over the course of the season in cup and league games. But if there’s one thing for sure, it’s that it’s important to trust the scouting team in their endeavours to unearth talent, as sometimes our most important asset in remaining sustainable isn’t necessarily selling the players who are playing – it’s sometimes about providing a pathway and shop window for those who aren’t.
