Sunderland’s chances of signing West Ham striker Divin Mubama this summer have potentially increased, with it looking highly likely that the striker leaves the Hammers this summer.
The 19-year-old old is currently out of favour at the Premier League outfit and despite his age and potential, he doesn’t seem to be in the future plans of the club.
Mubama, who has represented England up to an Under-20 level, has appeared just five times for the Hammers in the Premier League and potentially isn’t quite ready for the top flight. All five of those appearances have been off of the substitutes bench, and he hasn’t appeared for the first team since January.
Despite having the option to extend his contract a further year, the striker could well leave the London Stadium this summer if that option is not picked up, something that the Football Insider reported on earlier this week. He’ll no doubt have plenty of sides wanting to secure his services, with a host of Championship sides already monitoring his current situation.
The Sunderland Echo have stated that the Black Cats, as well as West Bromwich Albion and Everton are all interested in the youngster. Perhaps the best move for the striker would be to drop down to the second tier where he would see a significant upturn in minutes.
Although it’s not gone to plan this season, Sunderland will be targeting promotion to the Premier League again next season. They will however need to make a fair few signings this summer in order to bolster their ranks and put together a strong enough squad which can challenge at the top.
Jack Clarke is their only player to hit double digits this season for goals and he could well be on the way out this summer after yet another strong season for the 23-year-old. It’s easy to see that the Black Cats need a goalscorer, and Mubama could be their man.
Although he’s potentially lacking a bit of experience in the senior game, he has been in-and-around West Ham’s matchday squad all season and is therefore highly thought of. In the right setting, he could thrive and at just 19 years of age, he should only get better.
Once the Premier League season finishes, more will be known about his future and Sunderland will no doubt be monitoring the retained list when it does come out.
Writer’s View
The signing of Mubama would have the potential to take Sunderland to the next level. Despite only scoring one goal for the senior side, against AEK Larnaca in the 2022/23 Europa Conference League, the striker has been dominant at a youth level.
Given he has been in the Hammers’ matchday squad for the majority of the season, he is held in a high enough regard and Sunderland may opt to take a punt on him. If they want to challenge at the top of the Championship in future seasons, then they a need a goalscorer. Although fairly unproven, Mubama has bundles of potential and could be the answer.
