Recent news stories from French site L’Equipe suggest that Sunderland are closing in on FC Lorient defender Lamine Kone, but what does the Ivorian bring to the table?
Well, he’s 26, comparing that to our current centre-backs he drops the average age considerably. A helpful fact to consider is that he can also jump in at right-back should we need him to.
But as a centre-back, standing at 6″2, he will add some much-needed power to our back-line. The 26-year-old has started 14 games for Lorient this season, however, his disciplinary record isn’t the best due to his risky challenges, which the majority of the time pay off fortunately for us.
One thing I always note as a Sunderland fan is that the crowd love a strong challenge, and this guy is pure power. Don’t expect him to be lazing around wherever the ball is on the pitch as he’s known to run for days.
I think what I like about this guy most is his adaptability within Big Sam’s formation, I’d happily see him play as one of three centre-halves or in place of Yedlin or PVA. He doesn’t share their pace but he would be a fantastic acquisition for this disheartened Sunderland squad.
The Ivorian has spent 4 years at Chateauroux, clocking up over 100 appearances, and the French side haven’t been doing well at all as of late, meaning it could be a route out for the defender.
