da cassino online： A supporters greatest fear when following a mid table team is the inevitable rumours that surround the club’s best players. Transfer gossip, over ambition and homesickness are some of the many ways players become unsettled when plying their trade at smaller clubs. Playmaker Stephane Sessegnon is the latest Sunderland star to light up the Premier League but after links with top sides and constant speculation regarding his Paris based family, should the club be doing all they can to ensure the Benin International stays in the North East next season?
da esoccer bet： Sunderland are looking to push on under manager Martin O’Neill and the Northern Irishman knows he needs to keep his best players if they’re to continue their progress. While holding on to the club’s top performers isn’t exactly rocket science, unfortunately it’s never as easy as it seems. Naturally O’Neill will want Sessegnon to stay but he also has to look at the bigger picture, is the midfielder happy to stay and are other clubs willing to spend big for his services?
It’s an awkward balancing act between aspiration and financing. On one hand the club wants to keep its best players and progress, on the other hand they understand how selling an unsettled player can allow for more investment in the squad. O’Neill has openly admitted how important the African star is to his Black Cats project.
“There’s no doubt that Stephane Sessegnon is a player that we obviously want to keep and we’ll be doing everything we can to do so.
“He adds something to our attack that no other player does and our priority is to improve ourselves as an attacking force next season.
“If you want to do that, you have to look at keeping your best attacking players and attracting others. Stephane has been making the right noises about being happy to stay at Sunderland and hopefully that will be the case.”
It seems the deciding factor will be whether or not Sessegnon genuinely wants to stay. He’s already been linked with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City as well as French sides Marseille and former club Paris Saint-Germain. It’s been well documented that Sessegnon’s family stayed in Paris after his transfer to Sunderland and big spending PSG could offer him a direct route back home. Any deal that satisfies a player’s personal issues while profiting the club is something that should be considered but so far the midfielder insists he’s staying put.
“I’ve got no problem with life here and it’s always good news to hear that the manager wants to keep you.
“I’m aware of the speculation, but I can’t do anything about it. As I’ve said before, I don’t feel that my work here is finished.
“It’s true that when I first came here, it was hard to get used to the style of play. But now I like the Premier League and I think I have improved.
“I’m playing for a team who like to play football, with great fans.”
The skilful attacker’s comments are exactly what Mackem fans wanted to hear. After all Sunderland are trying to build a team capable of competing for European football and Sessegnon would be an integral part of their project if he stayed. After enduring a slow start at the Stadium of Light and struggling to adapt to pace of the Premier League, he has since found his feet and his skilful performances have seen him become a fans favourite. His ability to drift past players with ease has drawn praise from pundits and according to club captain Lee Cattermole he’s no different on the training ground.
“We call him our Messi – he has so much ability.
“With the way we play, when the ball goes into him, he can just drop his shoulder and go past people.
“Stephane has been brilliant and his attitude is absolutely spot on.
“I don’t think he could have done much more this season and if he can keep those levels up and maybe add a couple more goals next season he will be an even bigger asset.”
Considering his captain rates him, his manager wants him to stay and he says he’s happy at the club, it’s hard to understand what would force him to uproot his life once more. His talent is there for all to see but fans know how quickly things can change in football and the reality is a bigger team with greater finances could easily steal him away. This is something O’Neill knows all too well and remains open to the various possibilities.
“You can never tell what’s going to happen over the summer and I don’t want to be saying anything categorically at the start of it which will make us look foolish at the end of it.”
A sensible outlook from the manager but Sunderland must strive to keep their best players if they’re to consistently compete in the top 10. Keeping a player like Sessegnon would be a major statement on the club’s ambitions but as O’Neill knows all too well, nothing is guaranteed in football.
Do you think Sessegnon will stay at Sunderland? Should the Black Cats cash in on their best player? Is Sessegnon good enough to play for a top 4 team?
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