Sunderland may have a close eye on the Eredivisie after deal agreed | OneFootball

Former Stadium of Light favourite Edouard Michut has signed for Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard after a loan spell at Sunderland in the 2022/23 season

After emerging at Paris Saint-Germain and making his way through their academy ranks, former Sunderland central midfielder Edouard Michut has signed a permanent deal with Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard.

The 21-year-old French international became somewhat of a favourite among parts of the Black Cats faithful during his loan spell at the Stadium of Light during the 2022/23 season and will be watched with keen interest by a Sunderland hierarchy as they track how he performs.

Edouard Michut impressed at Sunderland

After graduating from the PSG academy, the calm-headed and composed midfielder showed signs of promise from an early age. At the age of 18, he came off the bench in the 69th minute against Lyon as a replacement for former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera and registered his first goal contribution for the club by setting up Thilo Kehrer for his goal.

This was a sign of things to come, as a few months later he would sign for Sunderland in the summer of 2022. After impressing during a few short substitute appearances, Michut was awarded a first start against Wigan Athletic on the 29th of December. The Black Cats thumped Wigan 4-1, with Michut forming a formidable partnership with Dan Neil.

A later injury to captain Corry Evans allowed Michut to gain more traction in the team, where he stood out due to his ability to turn away from trouble and initiate attacks. Michut managed his first goal for the club on the 15th of March 2023, in 1-2 home defeat to Sheffield United. He was found in a cleverly positioned wide space by Abdoullah Ba and he buried a right-footed shot low past Blades goalkeeper Wes Foderingham.

Sunderland turned heads in 2022/23 by finishing sixth to reach the play-offs in their first season back in the Championship and the 19-year-old, who finished with 24 appearances, was able to showcase his bright potential.

Edouard Michut moved to Adana Demirspor in Turkey and now Fortuna Sittard

As reported by L'Equipe at the start of the season, Michut had the chance to join Sunderland permanently but decided against it. The Frenchman said: “The club offered me to stay. It was my decision to not stay at Sunderland. We weren't in agreement on certain contractual points. There were also a few things on the style of play that didn’t suit me.

“In this style, I was at 50-60 maximum. How I play, I need to touch the ball. I thank the president for understanding my choice of not wanting to stay.”

After leaving Sunderland at the end of the 2022/23 season, the Frenchman spent the following season on loan at Turkish Super Lig side Adana Demirspor, before joining the side permanently in July 2024. However, due to unpaid wages, Michut terminated his contract with the Turkish outfit just two weeks after joining, subsequently moving to Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard on 5th November.

Although yet to have played his first game for the side, Sunderland will be watching his development with a keen eye after the player showed glimpses of his exciting future under Tony Mowbray.

The Dutch side currently sit seventh in the table, having accrued 17 points from 11 games, amassing five wins. They finished last year in 10th, meaning they were one spot away from a play-off spot that would have allowed the club the opportunity to qualify for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round.

Evidently, the club is in need of some extra quality, and still at just 21 years old, Michut may be able to provide it. Composed and intelligent going forward, the midfielder has a bright future ahead of him and his performances at Fortuna Sittard are likely to be monitored by the Sunderland hierarchy.