Sunderland AFC have now become a strong candidate to recruit Bilal El Khannouss, a 21-year-old Moroccan midfielder from Leicester City who Newcastle United had also been interested in. Newcastle pulled out of the deal worth more than £30 million after signing Jacob Ramsey, but Sunderland took advantage of the chance to improve their attacking midfield as they returned to the Premier League. This study looks at Sunderland’s interest in El Khannouss, the competitive nature of the transfer market, and the bigger picture of their plans to make big changes to their team, as reported on August 18, 2025.
Sunderland had just been promoted to the Premier League for the 2025–26 season and was working hard to get players to make sure they could compete at the highest level. The Black Cats had previously signed big names like Granit Xhaka, Enzo Le Fée, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandava, Chemsdine Talbi, and Simon Adingra. Now they were going after Bilal El Khannouss of Leicester City to add creativity and flare to their midfield. Keith Downie of Sky Sports said on August 18, 2025, that Sunderland had been interested in the Moroccan international for a long time, but they were not yet in active negotiations. This desire fit with their plan to hire young, high-potential players with experience in the Premier League to help them get through a tough season that was likely to include a fight to avoid relegation.
El Khannouss, who joined Leicester from KRC Genk for £19.5 million in August 2024, did well even though the Foxes were relegated. He scored three goals and set up five more in 32 Premier League games. His ability to play as an offensive midfielder or number eight, along with his vision, close control, and work rate, made him a perfect fit for Sunderland’s fast-paced, possession-based style under manager Régis Le Bris. Ruud van Nistelrooy, who used to be the manager of Leicester, commended El Khannouss’s “creativity and work rate off the ball.” He said that El Khannouss might become a “top player in Europe” who could play in the Champions League.
A New Strategy For Newcastle
Now bulding a top team isnt as easy as simply loading up EA FC and going to buy FC 26 coins, in real life, it’s far harder. Newcastle United, who were thought to be strong candidates for El Khannouss, dropped out of the contest after spending £43 million on Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa over the weekend of August 16–17, 2025. Craig Hope of The Mail revealed on August 14, 2025, that Newcastle was no longer interested in the £30 million-plus deal for El Khannouss. Instead, they were more interested in Ramsey’s versatility and experience in the Premier League. Newcastle’s midfield, led by Bruno Guimarães, Joelinton, and Sandro Tonali, with Lewis Miley, Joe Willock, and now Ramsey as backups, was good enough for their Premier League and Champions League games, even though Willock got hurt early in the season.
Eddie Howe’s choice to focus on other areas, especially the striker position, showed how important it was for the club to deal with Alexander Isak’s absence. He missed the season opening against Aston Villa because he was trying to move to Liverpool. Newcastle’s turn away from midfield reinforcements was shown by their pursuit of Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, whose transfer talks had stalled because he was worth £50–60 million. The club’s depth, which was boosted by young academy players like Alfie Harrison and Travis Hernes, made El Khannouss less necessary. This gave Sunderland a chance to take advantage of the situation.
Strategic Effects for Newcastle
Newcastle’s decision not to run in the El Khannouss race showed that they were changing their strategy to fill immediate weaknesses in their team, especially in attack. The club’s goalless draw with Aston Villa on August 16, 2025, showed that they didn’t have a clinical finisher, since Anthony Elanga and Anthony Gordon both squandered chances. This made it clear that they needed to get a striker like Wissa or Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson right away. Howe’s choice for a small, dedicated team over more midfield signings was practical, given that they had eight Champions League games and a busy domestic schedule. However, it may have left them short if injuries continued.
We can buy him after blunderland are relegated and we activate his relegation clause 😂😂
Mike(Quote)