Sunderland supporters would have walked away from the Stadium of Light last weekend overjoyed with their side's performance, as Danny Rohl's Sheffield Wednesday were torn to shreds by a relentless Black Cats side going forward.
There were various different star performers for Regis Le Bris' men on the day, as a now fit Dennis Cirkin continues to make up for lost time by firing in a goal against the Owls, whilst Eliezer Mayenda netted his first two senior strikes for the Wearside outfit in the resounding victory.
Still, this doesn't mean Le Bris won't be bringing in any more new recruits between now and the close of August, with a move now seemingly back on for this long-term target to join the Frenchman's ranks.
Sunderland move now back on
As was first reported by French outlet Foot01 over the weekend, it looks as of a move could now be back on the table for Alexandre Mendy to join the Black Cats, owing to a fresh transfer development emerging from SM Caen.
Caen look to have found a replacement for their potent 30-year-old striker in the form of Mbaye Niang reportedly, which might well swing open the door for Mendy to finally move over to England, after an earlier switch was on the cards.
This has since been further backed up by FootMercato journalist Josué Cassé, who revealed that a transfer is now back in motion with an increased bid even fielded by Sunderland in the region of £2m, ensuring this long-standing saga might well be resolved very shortly.
Mendy is still insistent that he only wants the Black Cats to be his next club, as per Cassé, with Le Bris content that all the pieces are now coming together.
What Mendy can offer Sunderland
Mayenda will now be sweating about his starting spot as Sunderland's lone striker going forward, when you take a glance at Mendy's prolific numbers playing in France across his career to date.
The deadly Caen man has 65 strikes next to his name for his current employers from 142 total games, and could well explode in the English game lining up next to the likes of Cirkin, who is very much an attack-oriented defender, seen in his headed effort against the Owls after moving up the field.
Stat
Cardiff
Wednesday
Minutes played
90
90
Goals scored
0
1
Assists
1
0
Touches
67
50
Accurate passes
25/33 (76%)
20/27 (74%)
Key passes
1
1
Interceptions
4
2
Tackles
2
3
Duels won
8/16
6/8
Stats by Sofascore
Glancing at his above numbers from both of Sunderland's opening league contests, Cirkin could be a major thorn in the side for Championship clubs as a spark in attack if he can remain injury-free, with an assist also picked up in Wales, before his goal against Rohl's men.
Energetic and lively too when it comes to launching into tackles and duels, Cirkin's tenacity when bursting forward is yet another effective calling card for Le Bris to rely on, alongside the sublime trickery of Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts among other slick performers.
Mendy would certainly fit in well, therefore, surrounded by all of this top attacking talent, with the 30-year-old known to operate as an instinctive finisher when given just a sniff of a chance, with his scoring frequency last campaign in Ligue 2 coming in at every 143 minutes.
Equally able to hold his own in a tussle, with six duels won on average last season in the French second division too, Mendy might well be the centre-forward Sunderland have been crying out for, and a figure who could help Mayenda also progress his game further.
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