Jewison Bennette is close to leaving Sunderland on loan to join Greek side Aris Thessaloniki this January according to Football Insider.
The Costa Rican international is currently undergoing his medical at the Greek side, where he will join until the end of the campaign. Bennette has struggled for game time this season, featuring just once in the Championship.
An agreement between both clubs and the player was reached two days ago according to the report. The forward has made 13 appearances for his country so far in his career, scoring two goals in the process.
Bennette signed for the Black Cats from Costa Rican side Herediano in August 2022 for a fee of around £1.1m according to Transfermarkt, and he has gone on to feature just 20 times for the first team since then.
The 19-year-old has a contract until 2026 at the club, who also have an option to extend that for a further year. There is no mention of the deal having a purchase clause in the report
Michael Beale spoke about the situation after Sunderland’s 3-1 win over Stoke City on Saturday in an interview with the Northern Echo, highlighting the loan will be for the development of the player with the expectation he will be a big part of the squad when he returns in the summer.
“Jewi is a player that I’ve got a lot of hope for in the future if I’m honest, but he’s got a need to play. Also, with his national team in the background and the tournaments they’ve got coming up, he needs to go and play and play now.”
“I’ve seen a lot that I like with Jewi so he’s a player for the future for us, for sure. It’s not a loan to send someone away, it’s a loan to allow someone to play and get some oxygen to build up his confidence again.”
Aris currently sit fifth in the Greek first division and have a game in the quarter-final of the Greek Cup tomorrow. It’s currently unknown whether the deal will be done in time for the player to feature.
Writer’s View
Bennette is a player valued highly by manager Beale, but with game time hard to come by so far this season a loan is the best choice for his development. The Greek league has some good sides in it, with the likes of AEK Athens beating Premier League Brighton & Hove Albion in the Europa League this season and it will be a good experience for a player who needs it considering his age.
The Sunderland winger has an eye for goal, and Aris fans will be hoping he can fire them up in the table from now until the end of the campaign.
