West Ham United midfielder Pierre Ekwah has joined Championship side Sunderland for an undisclosed fee.
The midfielder had been the subject of initial loan interest from the Black Cats, but after a deal was struck on Monday, Ekwah has joined the club permanently, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract until the summer of 2027.
While the midfielder never made an official first-team debut for West Ham, he has been on the first-team bench twice this season for the Europa Conference League play-off qualifying round wins over Viborg in August. He has also played three times for the under-21s in this season’s Papa John’s Trophy, providing one assist.
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Although not in a competitive appearance, Ekwah did play for the first-team as a substitute last month during a 4-2 friendly win over Cambridge United, coming off the bench to score at the Abbey Stadium. In Premier League 2 this season, Ekwah has scored five goals in 11 league outings for the under-21s, adding a goal and an assist during Friday's 3-2 defeat to Manchester United.
His Sunderland debut could come on Saturday afternoon away at home to Fulham in the fourth round of the FA Cup, having not featured in the competition for West Ham this season.
Ekwah joins a Black Cats side that also includes former Hammers defender Aji Alese, who joined the club permanently in the summer from West Ham.
The 21-year-old made 34 appearances in Premier League 2 for West Ham, scoring nine goals for the club.
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