Sunderland and Burnley join race to sign former Ajax player | OneFootball

Martha, who is a left-back by trade but can also play further up the pitch, left Dutch giants Ajax this summer after four years at the club, and both the Black Cats and the Clarets are keen to bring him to the Championship.

The 20-year-old predominantly featured for the club's U21 side, who play in the Eerste Divisie, which is the Dutch second division, but he did make 12 appearances for the first team in total, registering two assists.

It's easy to see why Sunderland and Burnley want Ar'jany Martha

Despite both clubs actually being without a manager at this moment in time, it appears as if the hierarchies at both clubs believe that Ar'jany Martha would be a good signing, and it's easy to see why.

As a free agent, signing Martha would be a low risk, high reward signing, and if he was to perform well then he could be sold for a huge profit, which suits Sunderland's recruitment model down to the ground.

Ajax are known for their academy, and have produced a number of superstars over the years, so the fact that Martha was deemed good enough to be signed by Ajax from Sparta Rotterdam back in 2019 bodes well for any club that signs him this summer.

His versatility could also be a huge selling point, with Martha being a left-back by trade, but being able to play on the wing both sides, and his form this season showed he has an eye for an assist.

This season saw Martha get his first taste of first-team football at Ajax, and despite not featuring all too regularly, it shows that he's clearly regarded as someone with plenty of potential.

He recently received his first international call-up, being included in the Curaçao squad back in March, who are coincidentally managed by former Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat.

With first-team experience at Ajax and an international call-up under his belt, it's clear that the free agent is a player with plenty of potential, and it looks like a real coup for whoever signs him this summer.

Ar'jany Martha will want regular playing time

With both Sunderland and Burnley in the race to sign Ar'jany Martha, it could come down to whoever is able to offer him more regular first-team minutes.

With it reported that Martha turned down fresh terms in the Dutch capital to leave, it's clear that he's ambitious and will want to be playing regular football, which he wasn't guaranteed at Ajax.

Sunderland have depth at left-back with the likes of Niall Huggins, Dennis Cirkin, Aji Alese and Leo Hjelde, while Burnley have just Charlie Taylor as an out-and-out left-back.

However, with Martha being versatile and able to play higher up the pitch, whoever signs him may choose not to play him at left-back, and instead use him as an attacker.

With more than one club said to be keen on signing him, the former Ajax man can weigh up his options, before deciding which move will allow him to play the most football.