Sunderland AFC won't be rueing Alexandre Mendy transfer miss anymore | OneFootball

The Black Cats targeted the 30-year-old throughout the summer.

Few would have predicted Sunderland to have had the early season success that they have had so far.

The Black Cats are flying at the moment in the Championship, and although they have drawn their last three matches, they continue to sit at the top of the table, level on points with Sheffield United, who were deducted two points before a ball had even been kicked.

Regis Le Bris' side were a difficult one to analyse in the summer as they lost Jack Clarke to Ipswich Town and spent a decent portion of the transfer window chasing Guinea-Bissau international Alexandre Mendy from SM Caen.

Sunderland failed in their bid to sign the 30-year-old, and there were some worries over their strike force after a difficult 2023/24 in front of goal. However, supporters should not have had any fears, with the club the top scorers in the division after 15 games, with a loan signing from Zenit St. Petersburg helping his new side out.

Missing out on Mendy is now an after-thought

Mendy was the main target throughout the summer for the Black Cats, with the striker scoring 22 goals in 37 games in Ligue 2 for Caen last season.

The Championship side tried their hardest to get a deal over the line before deadline day, and the 30-year-old himself was pushing for the move, explaining in an interview with Footmercarto his desire to make the switch to England.

He said: "It's clear to me and to everyone else that I want to go to Sunderland, the new management must respect the commitments made by the institution to me. If I'm training today, it's to be ready to start this new challenge with Sunderland. I repeat it but I said goodbye to D'Ornano, my teammates. Kylian (Mbappé) is the boss when he calls me.

"The new management must understand that it is the man who is being touched and that is the worst thing. I respected the club, the fans and today after four years at the club, I want to leave having given the best of myself. I'm leaving on the best note. Caen and the fans will always be in my heart but my head is in Sunderland," he concluded.

It was reported that a bid between €2m and €3m was tabled by Sunderland, but an agreement could not be found.

However, Le Bris and the rest of the club are possibly not too focused on the deal now, especially as they have started the season extremely strongly.

While Mendy may have improved his forward options, that was never a guarantee, and therefore, it can be seen as money saved without having a detrimental effect.

Wilson Isidor is starting to have a real impact

Although they missed out on one striker, Wilson Isidor has more than made up for the loss, and he has been excellent since joining on loan from Zenit.

He now has five goals to his name in 12 games, starting just nine of those. At only 24, he also fits the age range that Le Bris is seemingly aiming to have at Sunderland.

The Black Cats have recorded eight of the 10 lowest average ages so far this season, with the age of the starting XI that beat Burnley 1-0 back in August averaging out at just 22.7.

The Frenchman is building a squad that is not only ready to compete now, but also in the future, and while Mendy may have made an instant impact, at 30 years old he only has a limited number of years before his age becomes an issue.

Isidor will join Sunderland permanently in the summer if they win promotion to the Premier League, but they should push for a move in January and secure him for the coming seasons, as the Black Cats look to return to the top flight for the first time since 2017.

He has helped Black Cats fans quickly forget about the Mendy situation and ensured the club chiefs won't be missing him either.