Tony Mowbray says it's a sign of how far Sunderland has come after the arrival of Isaac Lihadji on a two-and-a-half year deal from Lille. The young forward has signed for an undisclosed fee from Ligue 1 side Lille, with the Wearsiders having the option of another year.
The 20-year-old, who has made 39 appearances with the French side, including 21 during their title winning campaign in 2020-21 and three in the Champions League. The young striker was nominated for the 2022 Golden Boy award along with current Black Cats loanee Amad Diallo.
Sunderland are reportedly closing in on the loan signing of Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt to bolster their ranks for the rest of the campaign. Should Gelhardt arrive in the coming days, the Black Cats will be in a considerably stronger position than the opening day of the window.
READ MORE: Isaac Lihadji hails 'inspiring' Sunderland after sealing Black Cats transfer from Lille
However, while Mowbray is looking forward to working with the talented youngster, he hinted that Lihadji's arrival could be a longer term plan.
Mowbray told safc.com: “We are delighted to welcome Isaac to Sunderland AFC and it’s a mark of the Club’s progression that we can attract this level of talent when so many others were in the mix. His playing time has been limited in recent months and we need to manage our immediate expectations, but he will add competition to the squad and we always have one eye on next season.
"I often talk about how important it is to keep putting talent into the Club, so we are delighted that Isaac has chosen to continue his career with us and we are looking forward to working with him.”
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