Sunderland appear to be leading the race to sign Feyenoord’s Anis Hadj Moussa in the summer.
In April 2024, the Eredivisie side agreed a deal for the winger to arrive at the club that summer. He has 22 goals and 11 assists from 76 matches. It includes 11 goals and six assists from this season.
Sunderland and several other clubs have already taken notice of the winger’s rise at the Dutch club. This is mainly because he made a lot of improvement in his overall game this season.
Let us explain by sharing data [this season first] of his performances from this and last season.
This highlights the areas where the 24-year-old has taken a clear step forward in his development so far. The stats mentioned are per game in the Eredivisie between the two seasons.
- Expected Goals [XG] per season: 3.46 – 3.14
- Expected Assists per season: 8.37 – 7.29
- Shots on target: 1 – 0-7
- Big chances missed: 1 – 3
- Big chances created: 11 – 8
- Crosses: 1.7 – 0.9
- Successful dribbles: 2.6 – 1.6
These are all signs of the progress made by the attack, which has attracted interest from Sunderland and others.
Black Cats in lead for signing
On Wednesday, Sport Witness covered claims from Algeria than Sunderland could make an offer for the Feyenoord player. The source didn’t report the Dutch club’s demands or the fee the Black Cats could offer.
Homme du Match pick up on that and cover the latest on the Black Cats when reporting on Marseille.
The operation remains complicated due to ‘particularly fierce and lucrative competition’ from England. Recent claims have mentioned Chelsea, Liverpool and AFC Bournemouth.
However, the report states Régis Le Bris’ side appear to be in the lead, and are in negotiations with his entourage. Feyenoord, for their part, are requesting €30-35m. This is another factor that makes the deal challenging for the Ligue 1 side.
Africa Foot relay claims made elsewhere about Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle United interest in Hadj Moussa but make clear Sunderland now appear to be in pole position.
The outlet also interviewed his compatriot and Olympique Béja manager, Nabil Neghiz. He’s backed Hadj Moussa to achieve more success by further improving his game.
“His pace in the first few strides allows him to get ahead of defenders and create danger in the final third of the pitch,” he said.
“What makes this player particularly interesting is not only what he’s showing now, but also the potential he still has to improve. If he continues to progress at this rate, he could become one of the most influential attacking wingers in European football.”
Hadj Moussa’s progress and rise in valuation
The attacker arrived in Europe when RC Lens signed him for their academy in 2018. He didn’t make the cut at the Ligue 1 side and left them on a free transfer for Olympic Charleroi in 2022.
Hadj Moussa scored eight goals from 33 matches for Olympic Charleroi and again left them for free. He joined Patro Eisden in July 2023 and Transfermarkt then valued him at €100,000.
The Algerian managed two goals and two assists from 18 matches for the second division Belgian club and his value increased to €250k in December 2023.
Vitesse Arnhem signed the winger on loan in February 2024, and a month later, his value rose to €750k. At the end of the loan spell, it increased to €2m, and he had two goals and two assists from 15 matches for the Dutch club.
Hadj Moussa arrived at Feyenoord at the start of the 2024/25 season. His value rose from €12m [December 2024] to €14m [May 2025] to €20m now. It could even rise further if he impresses for his country at the World Cup.
