Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah is currently battling relegation fears with Saint-Etienne.
On loan at Saint-Etienne, Sunderland’s Pierre Ekwah has admitted that the pressure of fighting for Ligue 1 survival is beginning to take its toll on him and his teammates.
The French midfielder, who has spent the season back in his homeland, has been a rare positive in a tough campaign for ASSE. As things stand, Saint-Etienne are 17th in the table, sitting three points outside of guaranteed safety and one point away from a play-off spot.
Following a damaging 3-1 loss to Strasbourg on Saturday, Ekwah offered an honest reflection on the challenges he and the rest of the squad are grappling with.
What has Sunderland loanee Pierre Ekwah said about Saint-Etienne’s survival battle?
Speaking to Made In Foot after Saturday’s defeat, Ekwah contrasted the team’s struggles with their recent derby win over Lyon, stating:
“The derby was fantastic, but the bigger task at hand is staying in the league.
“Every weekend is getting tougher. We’re fully aware of our situation, and mentally, it’s starting to weigh heavily on us. We need to be sharper and win more battles in both penalty areas — something we failed to do against Strasbourg. Mentally, we’re still in it, we’re capable of fighting back as we’ve shown throughout the season, but we must do more, take the lead, and push harder.”
What does the future hold for Pierre Ekwah at Sunderland?
Saint-Etienne reportedly have a £6 million option to make Ekwah’s loan move permanent at the end of the campaign. However, much may depend on whether they manage to avoid relegation.
Should they survive, reports suggest that ASSE would be keen to keep Ekwah permanently. If they drop down a division, however, his future remains uncertain.
Speaking recently to DAZN (via Foot Sur 7), Olivier Dall’Oglio — the manager who originally brought Ekwah to Saint-Etienne — expressed his desire for the club to secure the midfielder’s services permanently.
“Pierre is a young player I know well from our time at Saint-Etienne,” he said. “He played an important role shielding the defence. I often asked him to drop into the backline, and he did so effectively. He’s a disciplined, intelligent player with solid technique.
“He still has a lot of potential. He needs to develop into more of a leader, be more vocal, and assert himself more on the pitch. It might not come naturally to him, but in his position, he needs to organise, direct, and inspire those around him.”
