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Sunderland must accept Chemsdine Talbi offer, his 0.69 and 1.67 stats speak volumes
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- Sunderland must accept Chemsdine Talbi offer, his 0.69 and 1.67 stats speak volumes
Sunderland are fielding interest in Chemsdine Talbi from RB Leipzig and his stats from last season show that they should be open to letting him leave.
Talbi arrived at Sunderland in July last year as part of their huge recruitment drive following promotion to the Premier League.
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The Moroccan international winger arrived from Club Brugge for an initial £16.5million and experienced a mixed debut campaign on Wearside.
He scored some key goals against Newcastle and Chelsea, but also struggled to start regularly as the campaign went on.
New reports have claimed that Bundesliga club RB Leipzig have identified Talbi as a potential replacement for Real Madrid-bound Yan Diomande.
His statistics from last season, compared to other Premier League wingers and attacking midfielders, prove that they should let him leave if the price is right.
Chemsdine Talbi's underlying PL stats were poor in first Sunderland season
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Talbi registered four goals and one assist in 28 Premier League appearances and 16 starts throughout 2025-26.
He played off the right-wing for most of the campaign, even though three of his strikes came while he was featuring on the left flank.
The 23-year-old won fans over with some big moments away at Newcastle and Chelsea, and while many do not want him to leave, his underlying stats prove that an exit could make sense.
Talbi emerged from last season's league campaign with just 0.69 chances created and 1.67 duels won per 90, ranking in the bottom 10 per cent of all attacking midfielders and wingers in the top flight.
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He also only completed 0.92 successful dribbles and took 2.77 touches in the opposition box per 90, and also won just one foul all season long.
The Moroccan's 0.07 expected assists per 90 saw him ranked in the bottom 18 per cent, and his 14.3 successful cross percentage was also among the worst in the division.
Talbi's only stats that ranked highly were the times he was dispossessed and the fouls he committed.
It may seem short-sighted to consider an exit as they enter the Europa League, but Sunderland can surely buy a better player with a bigger upside for the hefty fee that Leipzig will need to fork out to sign Talbi this month.
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Sunderland plan to 'block' Brian Brobbey move as Premier League rivals swoop What have Sunderland fans said about selling Talbi?
Sources have revealed to Football Insiderthat Sunderland will not let Brian Brobbey leave the club this summer, but it remains to be seen how they react to interest in Talbi.
Some fans have taken to X to express their desire to keep him around, with one saying: "We are wanting wingers, not wanting to sell them, and he is one of our best. Scores goals in important games."
While others would not be as disappointed to see him moved on, as one took to X to write: "Very high ceiling but if we got £50+(million) and the ability to replace I wouldn't be devastated. There is a tier of must not lose - Brobbey, Xhaka, Sadiki, Mukiele, Roefs. Then he's in the next tier where it would be really annoying but replaceable if we got silly money."
