In the early 1980s, a somewhat bizarre TV special titled The Mystery Of Al Capone’s Vaults aired in America.
In it, an underground room at a Chicago hotel once inhabited by the notorious crime boss was opened live on air — only for the entire thing to fall flat when nothing more than mounds of dirt and empty bottles were revealed, with presenter Geraldo Rivera left looking like a prize clown as his big moment was ruined.
It was a classic case of the reality failing to match the pre-event expectations,
and after a summer recruitment drive that saw Sunderland embark on the kind of spending spree that I daresay few of us could’ve foreseen, there was also a tremendous amount of hype centered around the Stadium of Light ahead of our return to the Premier League.
The money was spent and the ambition was clear, but would the new signings gel and were they good enough to justify the outlay? Had we unearthed a crop of gems or would we be left to rue some expensive errors? As a step into the unknown, it was arguably the biggest of recent times and with that came intrigue, excitement, and perhaps a touch of nervousness.
As it turns out, we needn’t have worried, and all the credit in the world must go to Kristjaan Speakman, Florent Ghisolfi, Kyril-Louis Dreyfus and their associates for the work that was done. Ghisolfi’s arrival hinted at a desire to kick the recruitment into a higher gear and to ensure that any and all areas of potential weakness were covered off, but it’s fair to say that we’ve done far more than that.
Everywhere you look, Sunderland’s squad is filled with brilliant footballers but as we stunned Chelsea on Saturday, rallying from 1-0 down to record a famous 1-2 victory at Stamford Bridge, it was the relentless figure of Noah Sadiki that really caught the eye. Indeed, against a club who’ve boasted countless top class midfielders over the years, it was the turn of the DR Congo international to take centre stage, showing why the fee we spent on him looks ever more modest.
Like many of his teammates, two things are true of the midfielder.
The first is that he’s taken to life at Sunderland with alarming ease, and the second is that his skills and physical attributes are ideally suited to the Premier League. He also comes across as a thoroughly modest and likeable guy, and I’d be willing to bet anything that he’s a cheery presence on the training ground and in the dressing room — the sort of player who can lift the spirits of anyone who might need it.
Generally speaking, Chelsea know an elite midfielder when they see one.
That goes back to the days of double league winner Claude Makélélé, and although Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo are exceptionally good, as Sadiki roamed around Stamford Bridge on Saturday, eating up the kilometres, using the ball with supreme intelligence and not allowing the hosts a moment’s peace, one wondered how long he’ll remain as a “hidden gem” as his display surely registered on the radars of talent-spotters throughout the league.
Sadiki’s summer transfer from last season’s Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise was hailed as a coup for Sunderland.
Many predicted that he would prove to be a very shrewd addition but surely he’s surpassed most expectations already. He’s a twenty-year-old who plays with the composure of someone with ten years’ more experience, and although the “20% of the Earth is covered by water; the rest by Sadiki” observation was good fun, how else can you describe such a machine of a footballer?
Sunderland’s midfield — even without the brilliant Habib Diarra (just wait until he gets himself back into the frame — a £30 million Senegal international, no less) — has a bit of everything: energy, pace, ball-winning ability, and a combative approach that should ensure we seldom look anything less than extremely competitive in most games we play.
In order for the club to thrive at this level, we needed to enjoy a high success rate when it came to the summer signings. Thus far, it’s fair to say we’ve done just that and with every game we play, someone else seems to be catching the eye — with Sadiki the latest to show his worth with a powerhouse performance in West London.
For years, we bemoaned a lack of certain qualities in the engine room but at this stage, we’re looking in excellent shape and the role that Sadiki has played in such a transformation shouldn’t be underestimated. He really is that good.
