Fresh off keeping hold of Granit Xhaka despite Chelsea’s interest, Sunderland aren’t done in midfield. The Black Cats have now set their sights on a battle-hardened Napoli star — and his stats from a previous Premier League life show exactly why.
The Headline Move
Sunderland’s summer window has been quiet by their own recent standards — one signing, several exits, and a nervy will-he-won’t-he saga over Granit Xhaka that ended with the Swiss international staying put. Now, according to Italian outlet Il Mattino, the Black Cats have registered concrete interest in Napoli’s Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.
It’s a move with echoes of the Xhaka approach: an experienced, ex-Premier League name valued at a relatively modest £12.8 million, with Regis Le Bris looking to add real steel to a midfield that still needs depth.
Why Sunderland Are Convinced
This wouldn’t be a gamble on an unknown quantity. Anguissa already has a Premier League track record — and the numbers from his two seasons at Fulham make it obvious why Sunderland see him as ready-made for England’s top flight.
Signed for a club-record £22.3 million from Marseille in 2018, Anguissa became an instant starter for the Cottagers. Despite the club being relegated that season, his individual output was anything but relegation form: 87.3% pass accuracy, 2.49 successful dribbles per 90, and a monster 7.64 duels won per 90. Add in 2.84 tackles, 2.01 interceptions and 7.05 recoveries per 90, and it’s clear he was doing far more than his share defensively too.
His second Premier League campaign, after Fulham bounced straight back up in 2020-21, was even better. He started 29 of 36 league games, chipped in three assists, created 0.94 chances per 90, completed 3.34 dribbles per 90, and won an eye-watering 9.2 duels per 90 — elite numbers for a Premier League midfielder in a struggling side. His defensive work stayed just as sharp: 2.72 tackles, 1.95 interceptions and 7.66 recoveries per 90.
Since then, Anguissa has gone on to become a two-time Serie A champion with Napoli and a regular in the Champions League — a career arc that makes this potential deal look less like a gamble and more like shrewd business.
One Big Problem: Napoli Aren’t Selling
There’s a catch. Napoli director Giovanni Manna has already shut the door publicly, insisting Anguissa remains under contract and isn’t for sale, with no plans to open talks over his future.
Whether that stance holds is another question entirely. Anguissa is 30, has less than a year left on his current deal, and history shows contract situations like his have a habit of shifting once a player starts pushing for an exit.
The Bigger Picture at Sunderland
The timing matters. Xhaka staying on Wearside is reported to have given a major lift to the Sunderland dressing room, and pairing him alongside a player of Anguissa’s defensive-minded, box-to-box profile would give Le Bris a genuinely formidable double pivot for a first full season back in the Premier League.
Sunderland have work to do to turn interest into an actual deal. But if their pursuit of Xhaka is anything to go by, they’re not afraid of a fight to get their man.
