Sunderland Fear £8.6m Signing Of Jules Ahoka Solves As Granit Xhaka 'Understudy'

Sunderland officially announced the signing of defensive midfielder Jules Ahoka from Royal Antwerp on Monday afternoon, with the recruit being an understated yet very important addition to Regis Le Bris’ squad.

Ahead of Sunderland’s opening weekend defeat to Ipswich Town, reports emerged that the Black Cats had agreed an £8.6m deal for Ahoka with Antwerp, with the 20-year-old midfielder set for his medical tests at the Stadium of Light this week.

Further reports outlined that Sunderland agreed a package of €10m/£8.6m to secure Ahoka's signature, who has made just four senior appearances for Belgian Pro League giants Antwerp, but has made an impressive start to the 2026/27 season with one assist in two commanding displays to help his current side to victories.

Following news of Sunderland’s pursuit of Ahoka, the DR Congo youth international was left out of the Antwerp squad at the weekend for their dramatic 4-4 draw against fellow title-hopefuls Genk, and his capture was formally announced by the Black Cats this week.

From a Sunderland perspective, this is not just an exciting signing for the future, given his proven prowess and potential in his early years, but also an important addition to Le Bris’ squad depth as the lengthy 2026/27 campaign gets underway for the Black Cats.

With Ahoka being a defensive-minded midfielder who shone as the ‘revelation of the tournament' during the summer's Tournoi Maurice Revello in the holding midfield role for DR Congo, he adds a profile with a specialised position for Sunderland.

Currently, the only true and trademark number six in Le Bris’ Sunderland squad is captain Granit Xhaka, leaving the Black Cats boss with only one real option for the base of his midfield three.

Although Ahoka’s compatriot Noah Sadiki could theoretically do a job in the holding role, rather than as a number eight, in the event of an unfortunate injury to Swiss veteran Xhaka this season, this would leave Le Bris with a midfield conundrum.

Therefore, the £8.6m addition of Ahoka offers direct back-up and cover for Xhaka, which will be imperative this season with the Sunderland skipper turning 34-years-of-age in September, meaning that ageing-induced injuries could limit his game-time over the course of the season.

According to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie, Sunderland view Ahoka as an ‘understudy’ to Xhaka, and the presence and experience of the former Bayer Leverkusen captain and Bundesliga title winner will be a monumentally beneficial learning tool for the 20-year-old midfielder.

Given his lack of senior experience and being an unknown entity in English football, it remains to be seen what role Ahoka will play under Le Bris over the course of the campaign, but the Congolese starlet certainly arrives at the Stadium of Light with exciting levels of lofty potential.