Sunderland would have been relieved to have picked up a win away at West Bromwich Albion this weekend, with young star Pierre Ekwah the goalscoring hero on the day in the slim 1-0 victory.

The Black Cats were definitely helped by the hosts being reduced to ten men, but it would have been an encouraging Championship scalp all the same for Mike Dodds' side beating Carlos Corberan's playoff-chasing team on their own turf.

The aforementioned Ekwah stood out in the narrow win in the West Midlands alongside other raw stars such as Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg, further highlighting the deal to bring the former West Ham United youngster into the building last year as a golden one.

Pierre Ekwah's time at Sunderland

Ekwah arrived on the scene at the Stadium of Light in 2023 as a relative unknown entity in the men's game, having only tasted youth football with the Hammers before his major move up to Wearside.

Yet, the French midfielder has never looked back since walking in through the door and has gone on to become an important part of the Black Cats team this season even when times have been tough.

Ekwah's sweetly hit half-volley at the Hawthorns was his fifth goal in the league from 37 appearances, picking up two assists alongside his growing collection of strikes.

But, it was his work away from bagging the decisive winner that would have impressed those with Sunderland connections watching on even more – coming away from the tight contest with four duels won, on top of misplacing just five of his 34 passes on the day.

Labelled as "outstanding" by football journalist Josh Bunting when first beginning to make waves for the Black Cats last year, the Wearside outfit know it will take a hefty offer to tempt the topsy-turvy Championship club into selling him when you consider Ekwah's transfer worth is now higher than midfield comrade Dan Neil's.

Pierre Ekwah's transfer value in 2024

Ekwah has been touted for a move away to the likes of Crystal Palace and Fulham in the Premier League in the past, but it would take a big bid from those higher-up clubs to prise away Sunderland's star asset when looking at his transfer value now.

According to Football Transfers, Ekwah's worth now comes in at €5.8m (£4.9m) which means he is actually worth nearly a million more than Neil who has a price of €4.7m (£4m).

That is the case despite Neil being an established first-team presence at the Stadium of Light, making 42 appearances this season in the league all whilst being the same age as Ekwah at 22.

Ekwah also boasts a higher worth than another relied upon first-team face in Daniel Ballard, the former Arsenal man coming in with a lesser £4.3m worth next to his name despite starring against the Baggies in similar fashion to the central midfielder with eight duels bravely won.

1. Anthony Patterson

€12.9m (£11m)

2. Jack Clarke

€9m (£7.6m)

3. Jobe Bellingham

€6.5m (£5.5m)

4. Adil Aouchiche

€6.4m (£5.4m)

5. Pierre Ekwah

€5.8m (£4.9m)

Sunderland will just pray that Ekwah isn't taken aback by interest from the league above if those parties do end up bidding in the summer, eager to keep him around for a promotion push next season after a less-than-ideal campaign this time round.

If he does end up departing, Sunderland can at least take some solace in the fact they should be able to get a sizeable amount of money for Ekwah after taking a worthwhile punt on the once-unproven youngster.

Market Movers

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