Swapping the bright lights of London for the North-East mid-season was a big move for Pierre Ekwah - but the Sunderland midfielder has not regretted his decision for a second. Ekwah joined the Black Cats from West Ham in January, leaving behind his days playing U21 football for the Irons and joining Tony Mowbray's Championship side, following in the footsteps of defender Aji Alese who had made the same switch in the summer.
When Ekwah made the move, a play-off place seemed a distant dream for the Wearsiders but, four months on, they secured a top six finish and are gearing up for a semi-final Luton Town with the first leg taking place at the Stadium of Light tomorrow tea-time. "I spoke to him [Alese] before the discussions with Sunderland came up, and he just told me he was enjoying it there," said the 21-year-old, who was born in France before moving to England at 16 to join Chelsea's academy in 2018 and then moving to West Ham three years later.
"He said they were playing lots of young players, which was good, so when the opportunity came and I spoke with the sporting director [Kristjaan Speakman] and the gaffer [Mowbray], I was just thinking, 'Yeah, I need to get up here'. That's what I did, and I'm definitely not regretting my choice!
