IMAGO / NurPhoto

Official: Sunderland Land £7M-Rated Former Chelsea Player

Originally posted on Sunderland on SI | By Manuel Meza | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 2:41 PM ET

Sunderland have finalised a historic transfer window, closing nothing more and nothing less than 15 signings.

The Black Cats took seriously the task of reinforcing their squad to compete in the Premier League 2025/26, and after two victories and one defeat in the league, they have finished their reinforcement work.

In the last few hours, the club officially announced the signing of an experienced winger, which took more than one person by surprise.

Sunderland land £7m-rated former Chelsea player

Sunderland officially announced the signing of Bertrand Traoré, who, like Brian Brobbey, arrives from Ajax.

Traoré, 29, has signed a one-year contract with the Cats until the summer of 2026, with an option to extend for an additional year until 2027.

The Burkina Faso international has extensive experience in the Premier League, having represented Chelsea and Aston Villa between 2014 and 2022, having been at multiple European clubs in that same period.

Traoré arrived at Ajax in 2024, from Villarreal, and in his most recent spell in the Netherlands he played 50 matches, across the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup and Europa League, scoring 10 goals and providing eight assists.

After signing his contract with Sunderland, Traoré expressed his happiness at joining a "huge" club, as well as fulfilling his objective of playing again in the Premier League.

I’m really happy to join Sunderland. It’s a huge Club, and for me it feels great to be back in the Premier League. I had some good times here before, so it’s special to return, and I can’t wait to get started.Bertrand Traoré

For his part, Sporting Director, Kristjaan Speakman, expressed his satisfaction with the signing of the experienced winger, arguing that he is a profile of player they did not have in the squad.

As a left-footed player who operates on the right, Bertrand is a different type of player to those we already had in our group.Kristjaan Speakman

The Sunderland executive explained that Traoré will be a key player for scenarios where he has to face opposition defenders one-on-one, in addition to being capable of playing in multiple positions, which will give manager Regis Le Bris several alternatives.

This article first appeared on Sunderland on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: