One of the key reasons why Sunderland thrived in the Premier League last season was that they nailed their recruitment in the summer transfer window.

The headline additions were the likes of Granit Xhaka, Brian Brobbey, and Nordi Mukiele, who joined from big European teams and were able to hit the ground running at the Stadium of Light.

They brought in players who were used to playing for big teams in pressurised matches at the top level, which meant that the jump to the Premier League was one that they were capable of making.

One signing that went a little under the radar in comparison to the other examples mentioned was the £19.3m signing of Enzo Le Fee on a permanent deal from Roma.

How Sunderland hit the jackpot with Enzo Le Fee

The French star was not viewed as one of the big summer signings alongside the likes of Xhaka and Brobbey because he had already been on loan from Roma in the second half of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

He was a brilliant example of the club's phenomenal recruitment work, though, because they identified him as a viable target whilst he was at a low point in his career.

After joining Roma from Rennes for £19.5m, the attacking midfielder failed to make an impact in the Serie A for Roma, playing just six times before making the move to Wearside.

He had previously caught the eye in Ligue 1 with Lorient and Rennes, though, scoring six goals and creating 11 'big chances' in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns combined.

Despite failing to shine for European giants Roma, Sunderland were willing to take a risk on Le Fee because of his form in France, and they have been richly rewarded, after he scored five goals and provided six assists in the Premier League last season.

Sunderland make calls to sign star who has shades of Enzo Le Fee

Now, with a Europa League campaign on the horizon, the club are setting about a new summer of recruitment and Regis Le Bris' side already looking at a player who has shades of Le Fee.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Sunderland are one of a number of teams in the race to sign Tarik Muharemovic from Italian side Sassuolo in the summer transfer window.

The Italian journalist claims that the Black Cats and Bournemouth have both made calls to hold talks with the Serie A team about a potential deal for the central defender.

He adds that fellow Premier League rivals Leeds United have also joined the race for the 23-year-old talent, who has been valued at £34m by a previous report.

Interestingly, Muharemovic could arrive at the Stadium of Light as a player who has similar experiences to Le Fee, but in the opposite order, as he failed to make the grade at Juventus before signing for Sassuolo in 2025.

The Bosnia international emerged as an exciting young defensive prospect at Wolfsberger in Austria before joining Juventus' academy, but he never made a first-team appearance before leaving last year.

Just as Le Fee failed to play regular football for Roma's first-team, Muharemovic was unable to break into Juventus' team in the Serie A, but his form for Sassuolo suggests that they may have made a mistake.

The 23-year-old star, who has been described as "dominant" by journalist Graham Smyth, won 64% of his ground duels and 64% of his aerial duels across 32 appearances in the Italian top-flight last term, whilst making one error that led to a shot or goal.

Omar Alderete, meanwhile, won 50% of his ground duels and 58% of his aerial duels, whilst making a whopping five errors that directly led to shots or goals, in the Premier League for Sunderland last term.

These statistics suggest that the Bosnian talent, who is a left-footed defender, could be a more dominant and less erratic central defensive option for Le Bris in comparison to Alderete, which is why he could be an excellent addition to the squad.

The Black Cats should not be put off by his failure to make the grade at Juventus, because they have already seen with Le Fee that one failure does not define a player.