Chemsdine Talbi has enjoyed life with the Black Cats in the Premier League. The versatile winger hasn’t amassed an overwhelming amount of goal contributions. But, what he has done is become a standout technical player and a key player for Sunderland’s incredible start to the season. Could be be a Wildcard at AFCON?
With Talbi you get a player who perfectly fits into the Morocco squad. A player who’s calm, very technical and brings others into the game. The winger who joined from Club Brugge in the summer, is a dynamic forward who’s already scored key goals this season - most notably a memorable winner at Stamford Bridge and a goal at Anfield.
Playing 802 minutes and featuring in every single game for the newcomers who are 8th and have been even higher, demonstrates an integral forward who manager Regis Le Bris has clearly deemed as valuable - with his ever presence highlighting his reliability. Whilst the young winger is yet to properly explode, it feels like a matter of when - not if.
In regard to the current national team, the 20-year-old Belgium born forward has only played twice for the World Cup semi-finalists, so any significant involvement may feel a bit unlikely.
Especially with PSV forward Ismael Saibairi’s influence for club and country - who plays in a similar position to Sunderland’s number seven. You also have Marseille and World Cup performing phenomenon Azzedine Ounahi, who arguably offers a lot of the technical qualities Talbi offers, the quality in tight spaces, but also the recognition on the big stage.
Nonetheless, Talbi is another technical option and another player which gives the Atlas the chance to roll the dice. It will be interesting to see how Sunderland adapt, with numerous starters now at AFCON.
