Le Bris can boldly dump Le Fee by releasing Sunderland’s new Khazri

Sunderland have entered the final stages of the season, and Regis Le Bris is not concerned about the security of his club’s position in the Premier League.

Le Bris has done wonders at the Stadium of Light, earning promotion last season and now has an outside chance of qualifying for European football at the end of the season.

And all this has grown one of the smallest teams in the division. Tenth in the table (ahead of Newcastle United, of course), the Black Cats are on the rise, and last year’s transfer business is paying off handsomely.

Newbies are well established, Le Bris enjoys plenty of rotation throughout the season. With an important trip to Merseyside to face Everton coming up this weekend, Sunderland may be inclined to replace Enzo Le Fee with a young star.

Why Sunderland would release Le Fee on Sunday

Le Fee is one of the sharpest parts of Sunderland’s first team. Hailed as an “amazing” talent by his manager, the Frenchman has played regularly, starting 27 times, although he only managed a few minutes during the big Tyne-Wear derby win.

An innovative and complete player, Le Fee, 26, is a key member of this Sunderland side, but Le Bris must complement the partnership of Noah Sadiki and Granit Xhaka at central pivot, with Habib Diarra bringing energy and unpredictability up front.

Is Le Fee, who is not the most driven player in the division, the right choice to take out on the left wing? Probably not, especially when you consider that speed and power could help improve Jake O’Brien.

Sunderland have a small squad, but they are selective, and Le Bris may want to swap Le Fee for a new version of Wahbi Khazri’s outfit.

Sunderland’s new Wahbi Khazri

Like Khazri, Chemsdine Talbi can do wonders. The young attacker, however, will not want to emulate the retired Tunisian by failing to pull it all together for Wearside, who were part of a disappointing Premier League relegation in 2016/17.

Sunderland signed Talbi from Club Brugge last summer for a package that rose to £20.5m. He arrived as a dynamic and versatile midfielder who was described as “one of the big revelations of 2024/25” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and although the Premier League is a tough world, he has shown signs of growth in red and white.

The 20-year-old is not perfect, tactically speaking, but he has proven his worth in the Premier League, coming up with big moments and showing plenty of style.

You can’t help but wonder if someone as naturally gifted as Khazri would have enjoyed a better return had he been playing in the current Sunderland squad. Indeed, the 35-year-old had the necessary knowledge to develop this effective system.

Talbi is the future, however, and the Black Cats could benefit from playing him from the start, with his three Premier League goals this season coming against Chelsea, Liverpool, Burnley and Arsenal. Three of those sides are among the most threatening in the division, and Khazri rode Chelsea and Manchester United back there.

For that, he probably had a habit of turning on the faucet when he was put on the big stage. The hope is that Talbi will work with great consistency, and if he can process the magic at his feet, it is important that he starts on Sunday with Le Fee, who may break that strong backlog.

There is no question that players like Talbi are expected to improve next season, but he is still young and has already shown that he has the potential to become the best midfielder in the Premier League.

In this respect, he is not very similar to someone like Khazri, but although the Tunisian has failed to put it all together, Talbi plays in a special side for Sunderland, and has the potential to go forward not one but many.

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