Pierre Ekwah experienced first-team football with Sunderland immediately after joining them in January 2023.
The 21-year-old first arrived in England when Chelsea signed him from FC Nantes for their academy in 2018. The Blues then let him join West Ham United in 2021, where he was unable to make his way into their senior team.
Sunderland signed the midfielder from the Hammers and just days after joining them, he was able to experience first-team football. Ekwah made his debut when he came off the bench in the Black Cats’ 1-1 draw against Fulham in the FA Cup in January 2023.
Mordu2Sport had a chat with Ekwah and Peuple Vert have relayed his comments. He has already opened up about his struggles with the Blues. The Championship club helped the Frenchman get out of his difficult situation with West Ham.
On his first minutes with Sunderland’s senior team, he said: “At Sunderland, things changed. The manager told me straight away that I was going to play against Fulham in the cup. When they told me ‘You’re coming on,’ I was shocked.
“It was incredible. I thought, ‘Finally, I’m here.’ I put in all this effort for this moment. At 21, in today’s football, you have to be patient. I waited, worked, and travelled miles. This first was incredible.”
Ekwah made 61 appearances in all competitions and was a regular for Sunderland until the end of last season. His situation changed after Régis Le Bris arrived at the Stadium of Light and the Black Cats sent him on loan to AS Saint-Étienne last summer.
The midfielder has made 22 appearances for Saint-Étienne this season.
