Sunderland officially confirmed the signing of experienced full-back Thomas Meunier on a two-year deal on a free transfer on Wednesday morning.

The 34-year-old had been a free agent since his contract with Ligue 1 outfit Lille expired at the start of the month, and he is now set to play Premier League football for the first time in his career.

He played three times for Belgium at the World Cup this summer, which means that he will have an extended break before joining for pre-season, but he did not feature in their quarter-final loss to Spain.

Meunier also started 21 of his 25 appearances in Ligue 1 for Lille in the 2025/26 campaign, so he will not be joining to be an experienced player who rarely plays.

Where Thomas Meunier will fit in at Sunderland

The Belgian defender is not an incredibly versatile player who is likely to play a lot of minutes outside of is main position, as he has never started more than 11 games outside of right-back or right wing-back in his club career.

That means that the 34-year-old star will be directly competing for the right-back slot alongside Nordi Mukiele and Trai Hume, or for the right wing-back role if Regis Le Bris moves to a three-back formation.

Having a Europa League campaign to look forward to means that the Black Cats will have plenty of minutes to share around, and the former Borussia Dortmund talent could be their first-choice option in Europe.

Mukiele and Hume could compete for a regular starting spot in the Premier League, allowing the veteran full-back to play in the Europa League and allowing the other two, younger, options to rest.

The Black Cats, though, cannot expect him to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch, as he only produced three goals and four assists in 77 matches in the previous two club campaigns.

Sunderland are in talks to sign dream partner for Thomas Meunier

Meunier's lack of an attacking threat from a right-back berth is why it is important that the club bring in a top-quality right wing option who can play ahead of the experienced defender.

Dutch side FR12 now reports that Sunderland are pursuing a deal to sign Feyenoord winger Anis Hadj Moussa in the summer transfer window.

The outlet claims that the Black Cats, along with Como and Paris FC, have already made contact to open talks with the Eredivisie giants about what it would take to land the Algerian star.

It adds that Feyenoord are looking for a fee in the region of £32m for the 24-year-old attacker, though, and they are yet to receive any concrete bids for his services.

The Algeria international could be worth splashing that kind of money on because he would be the perfect signing to partner Meunier with down the right flank next season.

Hadj Moussa is a proven talent in European football, having scored two goals in eight Europa League games and three goals in 11 Champions League games for Feyenoord, and could make up for Meunier's lack of attacking thrust from right-back.

The 24-year-old wing wizard would not only help the Belgian in European matches, though, because his league form in the Netherlands suggests that he also has the chance to be a productive forward in the Premier League.

In the 2025/26 campaign, the £32m-rated winger scored 11 goals from 6.78 xG and created a whopping 16 'big chances' and 11.14 xA in the Eredivisie, although he was only rewarded with six assists for his creativity.

No Sunderland player created more than 13 'big chances' or racked up more than 5.92 xA in the Premier League last term, which suggests that Hadj Moussa would be a standout creator for the Black Cats.

His 11-goal haul in the Eredivisie was also at least four more than any Sunderland player produced in the league, as Brian Brobbey was their top scorer with seven goals.

Hadj Moussa, therefore, could be Le Bris' star attacker on the right flank by being their biggest goal threat and their best creator, cancelling out Meunier's lack of consistent attacking quality at right-back, which is why he would be a dream for the latest signing.