Sunderland hit gold on star who is now worth more than Ballard & Neil (2024)

Sunderland supporters will be hoping for a dramatically better season coming up after settling for a dire 16th-place finish last campaign in the Championship which left a bad taste in many a mouth on Wearside.

Regis Le Bris' appointment was a left-field one to say the least, after the Black Cats had gone without a permanent boss for some time, but the Frenchman could be the breath of fresh air Sunderland need from the dug-out to mount a promotion charge again.

The ex-Lorient manager will be keeping his fingers crossed that the club's star men are still at his disposal next season to make the task of competing near the top end of the division less challenging.

One of those players, away from the likes of Jack Clarke and Co is Northern Irishman Trai Hume, who has never looked back since moving to England in 2022, having walked away from his native country.

Trai Hume's time at Sunderland

Hume has amassed 84 appearances for Sunderland in that time span, with the 22-year-old ever-present all of last season in league action, as his importance shone through for the Black Cats regardless of who was occupying the dug-out.

Filling in at left-back 11 times across those 46 games he managed to accumulate, as well as occasionally even playing in the heart of the defence, Hume's adaptability made him a player that could be relied upon, even when Sunderland were suffering with poor result after poor result.

The six-time Northern Ireland international, who also has six goal contributions next to his name donning Sunderland red and white, has begun to attract interest from higher-up suitors as a result, with Leeds United one party keen on the tenacious full-back.

Unai Emery's Aston Villa are also supposed admirers of Hume's work - who was even described as being "outstanding" by football journalist Josh Bunting last season - with Sunderland potentially facing a losing battle to keep a firm grip on the 22-year-old beyond this transfer window.

The only plus side of Hume being moved on is the fact Sunderland would be set to make some serious profit on the former Linfield man, having only signed the defender for a meagre fee of £150k from the Northern Irish side.

Hume's transfer value in 2024

The in-demand defender is now worth even more than Black Cats stalwarts Daniel Ballard and Dan Neil, according to Football Transfers, as Sunderland brace themselves now for bids to come their way.

As per Football Transfers, Hume is worth £6m in the Stadium of Light camp, which is a significant rise from what the Mackems first paid for the 22-year-old two years ago.

Ballard and Neil, on the contrary, are both worth just £5m respectively, despite both players also being integral to the Black Cats cause, having only missed seven league clashes between them last campaign.

Looking at the table above, Hume is only below the likes of Jobe Bellingham, Jack Clarke and Anthony Patterson when it comes to the most valued assets at the Stadium of Light, with the Northern Irishman earning Sunderland a pretty penny if sold on soon.

It would be a big loss for the Wearside outfit still, with Timothee Pembele the only other recognised right-back in the squad alongside Sunderland's issues in the left-back area with injury, but the Black Cats wouldn't be able to begrudge Hume moving on if Villa came knocking.

Le Bris will be nervous at the amount of possible outgoings, but with the likes of Alan Browne joining the ranks, it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom.