Sunderland snap up 18-year-old striker Eliezer Mayenda from Sochaux

Sunderland has announced the signing of 18-year-old striker Eliezer Mayenda, who has joined the club on a five-year contract.

Mayenda, formerly of Sochaux, has arrived at the Stadium of Light for an undisclosed fee.

Last season, the young striker made 20 appearances - 15 in Ligue 2 and five for Sochaux B in the Championnat National 3 - and managed to net four times.

Born in Zaragoza, Mayenda earned his status as the youngest-ever player for Sochaux when he debuted in a Coupe de France tie against Nantes in December 2021, aged just 16 years and seven months.

The Spain Under-17 international linked up with his Sunderland team-mates last Friday, ahead of a pre-season clash against Real Mallorca at the Stadium of Light.

Reflecting on his move, Mayenda stated, “I am very happy to be here because that is what I wanted. It is a historic club in England and it's a club that I already knew about so I was very excited to come here. I really wanted to take up the new challenge."

Expressing excitement about the new addition to the squad, Sunderland AFC’s Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman said, “Eliezer is an exciting, quick and direct player, who's equally effective with the ball to feet or running beyond opponents. We are delighted to welcome him to Sunderland AFC and I’m sure our fans will enjoy watching him and following his journey with us. He’ll naturally need some time to adapt and integrate, but he’s full of ambition and I know how much he’s looking forward to showing everyone what he's capable of.”