Sunderland struck gold on “warrior” now worth more than Mukiele & Isidor

Sunderland are yet to look fazed by the intense challenges of the Premier League.

Minus a disappointing loss away at Burnley on the second matchday of the season, Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats have collected two wins and two draws, with another encouraging display from the Wearside outfit against Aston Villa handing the hosts a 1-1 draw.

It wasn’t the prettiest overall display, as Sunderland had to dig deep after being reduced to ten men early on, but there was just enough in the Black Cats’ tank to steal a share of the points.

Again, Wilson Isidor would come to the rescue with a well-taken strike towards the dying stages of the tense contest, with both the Frenchman and his battling compatriot at the back in Nordi Mukiele key to the late draw being sealed.

Isidor & Mukiele’s standout performances

Amazingly, Sunderland – at this point – boasts a sterner defensive record in the Premier League than that of Arne Slot’s table-topping Liverpool, and it’s clear to see why after Mukiele put in another combative display.

Leaking just four goals from six games, Mukiele has only given up two of those strikes since entering Le Bris’ first team plans after a summer move from Paris St. Germain.

The commanding 27-year-old would ensure the likes of Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers were kept quiet throughout, despite the Villans’ man advantage, as seen in him winning seven duels and registering 12 clearances to ensure the basics were done valiantly, as per Sofascore.

Picked up for just £12m, it really does feel as if Sunderland have hit gold on an unbelievable bargain already in tempting Mukiele to Wearside.

Isidor is also proving to be a shrewd buy at the moment for just £5m, considering the ex-Zenit St. Petersburg striker is now in the Stadium of Light record books for his three strikes this season on home soil.

But, despite both the defender and the attacker sticking out once more, there is a different star buried in the senior ranks that is worth even more than both Isidor and Mukiele, who represents an even better bargain.

How Isidor & Mukiele’s market values compare

Various Sunderland stars who were purchased just this summer have instantly settled into their new environment, away from just focusing on Mukiele, with Noah Sadiki running himself into the ground for the cause on Sunday, as seen in him winning three ground duels.

But, there is also the old guard that has been there since the beginning of Sunderland’s ascent, all the way from the lower reaches of the EFL to the promised land of the Premier League, that deserve equal praise, with Trai Hume being one figure still beloved by the Stadium of Light masses, despite all these flashy new buys taking over.

Le Bris’ past comments about Hume being a “warrior” were spot on when assessing his gritty performance against Villa, with three tackles amassed – which included this mistimed lunge on the aforementioned Rogers – on top of eight duels being won, generating lots of cheers from the home faithful.

Yet, it’s also his attacking flair that has turned him into a major fan favourite since he sealed a switch from his native Northern Ireland to England back in 2022, with nine goal contributions last campaign very much helping Sunderland steer themselves to promotion glory.

He is yet to get up and running with any goals or assists in the top-flight, but that will hopefully come with time, with Hume once making the jump from Linfield to the bruising nature of the EFL look straightforward.

Subsequently, the “outstanding” full-back – as he has been glowingly labelled by journalist Josh Bunting – is now worth way more than his original measly £200k price tag, with Football Transfers now estimating that the tough Northern Irishman has a bumped up value of £15.5m.

That’s even more than both Mukiele and Isidor’s valuations on the site, with the determined centre-back worth a lesser £10.6m, while the lofty attacker comes in at £13.6m, which is a huge increase from his modest £5m price tag in January.

Still, he pales somewhat in comparison to Hume, with Le Bris hopeful he can continue to get a tune out of his full camp to keep up their fantastic early return to the top-flight.