So we finally have it, the first Sunderland squad to play in Europe for 53 years and the first to play in the new format of a true UEFA league phase campaign. Due to the restrictions UEFA squad rules have in place, Sunderland were always going to struggle getting a full 25-man squad named and that means some players were naturally going to miss out.
We’ll recap the squad rules, point out who fits what criteria and then discuss who is lucky to be included and who’s unfortunate to miss out.
The Fundamentals
Squad Rules
Each UEFA squad must follow the parameters below (this squad list is also known as the “A List”)
- A maximum of twenty five players
- A maximum of seventeen players with “Non-Homegrown” status
- A minimum of eight players with a “Homegrown” status, four of which must be club-trained
- A minimum of two goalkeepers
There’s also a “B List”, where any player under the age of twenty one and who’s been with the club for two years can be used without registration.
If any of the above parameters cannot be met, then gaps in the squad must be left blank – essentially reducing the max squad size you can name for the competition. With this in mind, Sunderland can only reach the magic 25-man squad by listing 4 B List players in the A List.
Home Grown Status
There’s a lot of confusion across social media around what qualifies as Home Grown. There are two distinct categories in a UEFA squad
- Club Trained
- Association Trained
Club Trained
To be club-trained, a player must spend three seasons (or thirty six months) at a single club between the ages of fifteen and twenty one.
The important caveat is that this three-year period need not be consecutive and this is important to note: a player signing after their eighteenth birthday can still achieve club-grown status, as they can be registered across three seasons before turning twenty one.
Association Trained
In simple terms, an association-trained player is a club-trained player of another club, or that’s spent three years at multiple English clubs between the ages of fifteen and twenty one.
A player may also be association-trained if they spent two and a half years at Sunderland and completed a six-month loan at another English club before turning twenty one, thus breaking the full three years (or thirty six months) of registration between eighteen and twenty one.
The Squad
Due to issues surrounding the amount of Club Trained players we could name without filling it with B list players, Sunderland were realistically only ever going to be able to name 21 players max (or 22 if Rigg was added to the A list). Following yesterday’s announcement, here is the squad breakdown.
NHG = Non Home Grown, HGC = Home Grown Club, HGA = Home Grown Association
Goalkeepers
- Robin Roefs – NHG
- Simon Moore – HGA
Defenders
- Omar Alderete – NHG
- Dan Ballard – HGA
- Kevin Danso – NHG
- Trai Hume – NHG
- Reinildo Mandava – NHG
- Dayann Methalie – NHG
- Thomas Meunier – NHG
- Nordi Mukiele – NHG
- Luke O’Nien – HGA
Midfield
- Jules Ahoka – NHG
- Habib Diarra – NHG
- Enzo Le Fee – NHG
- Chris Rigg – HGC
- Noah Sadiki – NHG
- Granit Xhaka – NHG
Forwards
- Nilson Angulo – NHG
- Brian Brobbey – NHG
- Malick Fofana – NHG
- Wilson Isidor – NHG
- Romaine Mundle – HGA
So we’ve picked a 22-man squad, by adding Rigg into the A-List and taking a HGC spot. This in theory didn’t need to be done as Rigg qualifies as a B List player, so the squad makeup doesn’t differ. The squad also features the full 17-man quota for NHG players.
Reviewing the Squad
Who Misses Out?
I think it’s for to say the most notable omission from this list is that of Chemsdine Talbi, the Moroccan has seen his playing time reduced thus far this season and now won’t have the chance to feature in the League Phase of the Europa League. Reports have recently surface around a potential departure so whether this is part of the planning, or assurances around Premier League playing time have been mentioned – who knows.
Other players left out include the likes of Jocelin Ta Bi and Melker Ellborg. The former was set for a deadline day loan that fell through, so was always an outsider for inclusion whilst the latter can potentially be added to a squad list if there were major goalkeeping issues (like a long-term injury) as they are a protected species and the requirement for a minimum of two goalkeepers.
The likes of Alan Browne and Aji Alese were never truly going to worry those ahead of them, with rumours of both having potential departures in the closing stages of the transfer window.
Who Gets In?
Some “winners” into the final squad include young Jules Ahoka. Who was debated to perhaps not make the final list due to the cover we have in midfield – with many fans (me included!) expecting Talbi to take this spot and everyone’s favourite member of the squad Simon Moore gets his spot as one of 4 HGA players.
Other “fortunate” players include the likes of O’Nien and Mundle who may seem somewhat limited game time in the Europa League due to the quality and depth in the squad, but they fill important HGA places and have therefore been added to the A List. I personally, live in a world where I feel they both contribute to the Europa League campaign and aren’t just “passengers” in a squad.
Verdict
Despite Talbi’s omission from the squad, I think this in by large what we expected to see. Romaine Mundle was also going to be added due to his HGA status, as were O’Nien and Moore. Rigg’s A List inclusion is somewhat baffling but doesn’t actually mean anything in reality.
We’ve got a good blend of experience and youth in the team and we can always pad the bench with promising youngsters such as Geragusian, Ogunsuyi, Proctor etc as they are all on the B List.
Looking ahead, I’m quietly confident we’ve got a team here that can deal with the upcoming challenges with omitted players being able to help out in the other competitions – so can we expect Talbi to be the “PL Starter”? Only time will tell, but Regis and his staff know what they’re doing – so let’s just buckle in for the journey ahead.