Nordi Mukiele, Mohammed Kudus and Hugo Ekitiké have started quickly, unlike Florian Wirtz, Anthony Elanga and Benjamin Sesko
By WhoScored
Six games into their first Premier League season since 2016-17, and Sunderland are flying high in fifth place. It’s their best start to a top-flight campaign in 70 years. A lot of that success can be attributed to their new signings, none more than the outstanding Mukiele – WhoScored’s second-highest rated player this season after Erling Haaland.
Signed for just £12m in the summer, the former RB Leipzig, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayer Leverkusen defender was given his chance when Dan Ballard picked up an injury in the second game of the season. The 27-year-old has embraced the challenge, producing a series of standout displays. In his four games, Sunderland have picked up eight points and conceded just two goals. His physicality and athleticism have been central to the team’s fast start.
He attacks the ball aggressively (he ranks third for clearances per 90 minutes in the league), wins his duels (he ranks ninth for tackles per game among defenders), and is just one of seven players in the league yet to be dribbled past. Sunderland pulled off a coup by landing a player of his pedigree and talent at such a low cost.
