Last Saturday at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland’s Black Cats fell short of Luke Williams’ Swans 2-1, so failing to kick off interim manager Mike Dodds’ reign with a bang.
Several important first-team players let the Wearside squad down in the close loss; Dan Neil, a dependable central midfield presence, won just one match all afternoon in a quiet performance.
However, Dodds’ starting lineup on the football field isn’t the only thing causing Sunderland problems; the high-earner is currently eroding the Black Cats while they wait in the wings.
With a salary more than twice that of Trai Hume, this unimportant employee at Sunderland may soon be intentionally removed to make room for greater pay.
Timothee Pembele’s wage at Sunderland
Timothee Pembele, who joined Sunderland from Paris St. Germain last year, earns a substantial £7.5k a week, despite seldom making an impact in the senior ranks.
Since leaving Paris, the 21-year-old sensation has only made five first-team appearances for the Black Cats. Pembele has, however, made more of an impact at the U21 level for the Championship club, recording two assists in the Premier League 2 after being brought in to play there.
However, it is reasonable to argue that Pembele’s pay is somewhat inflated when you consider the other salary earners in the Sunderland camp.
The Black Cats number six’s last taste of senior football was on Valentine’s Day versus Huddersfield Town, winning only one of his four ground duels on the day as Sunderland succumbed to a disappointing 1-0 defeat away at the Terriers.
This lacklustre cameo from off the bench has seen his limited game-time dry up even more, with Dodds now faced with a conundrum over whether to give Pembele more minutes in the first-team fold or leave him to play for the U21s.
More time to adjust to the senior set-up and shine could somewhat justify Pembele’s extortionate wage, but with Trai Hume’s spot fixed at right-back again owing to Leo Hjelde joining in January, it could well be hard for the ex-PSG full-back to ever fully break through.
Pembele’s wage compared to the Sunderland squad
Amazingly, even though Hume is yet to miss a game this season for Sunderland in the league, the Northern Irish star comes in on a lower wage than Pembele according to Capology.
especially while the Frenchman makes over twice as much money as Hume does each week—£7.5k—he yet makes a pitiful £3k while Hume plays a solid role for Sunderland throughout the campaign, especially in difficult circumstances.
In an attempt to give his team more grit at St Andrew’s, the 21-year-old even excelled in a recent 2-1 loss to Birmingham City, which resulted in Michael Beale’s dismissal. He completed eight tackles and eight ground duels.
| Sunderland’s top earners | |
|---|---|
| Player | Weekly wage |
| #1 Jack Clarke | £17k |
| #2 Bradley Dack | £15k |
| #3 Dan Ballard | £15k |
| #4 Patrick Roberts | £12.5k |
| #5 Dennis Cirkin | £10k |
| Data via Capology. | |
Pembele’s salary is also more than that of players like Jobe Bellingham and Pierre Ekwah, who play a key midfield role for the Black Cats and have made a combined 65 first-team appearances this season, earning £6.5k and £3k a week, respectively.
Due to the evident background that accompanied the 21-year-old’s signing—he left Ligue 1 powerhouse PSG—his pay is obviously considerably greater than it has to be.
It could well be premature to completely write off the Frenchman’s future at the second-tier club, but with various key first-team presences earning less than the reserve figure, it might well be smart to offload Pembele soon to not have such a high earner just stuck on the fringes.
