The hype was genuine, until it wasn’t. When Jewison Bennette first signed for Sunderland, he appeared to be another in a long series of outstanding young talents snatched from the depths of some database and molded into a world-beater in the making.
Instead, as we approach the 550-day mark since his last league appearance for the Black Cats, Bennette finds himself on the verge of an untimely exit from the Ukrainian top division, with no clear indication that he will ever put on a red and white shirt again.
The early indicators were good. In 2022, the winger signed a four-year contract with Herediano in his native Costa Rica. He arrived on Wearside as a fresh-faced teenager and quickly tallied two goals and an assist in 18 appearances in his first season in England. Of course, there were teething troubles, the kind you’d expect a youngster going halfway around the world to face, but for the most part, Bennette appeared to be another vindication of Kristjaan Speakman’s much-lauded recruitment strategy.
And then, somewhere along the line, things went awry. Last season, as Sunderland lurched from apathetic lull to apathetic lull, the starlet was afforded only one outing in the Championship – a bizarre, near-mythical cameo against Southampton during which he executed three increasingly chaotic pirouettes, launched a deep cross straight onto the waiting forehead of Chris Rigg, and then, to all intents and purposes, vanished.
What has happened afterward has felt, from the outside, like a sequence of decreasing returns. First, there was the ill-fated loan stint in Greece, followed by a summer transfer window in which nothing transpired for the teenager. Bennette’s last-ditch move to Charlton Athletic fell through in January, but other from that and a token nine-minute performance in the Carabao Cup, he has mostly been relegated to the rare appearance for Graeme Murty’s U21s.
Now, however, he appears to be planning an escape to the most unlikely of locations. According to recent reports, Ukrainian club FC LNZ Cherkasy is close to signing the Costa Rican, and Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris confirmed the news during a press conference on Thursday.
When asked if Bennette was in talks to depart, Le Bris replied, “Yes, but I’m not sure where the agreement is at. “He needs to play.” To that end, the Black Cats’ manager is entirely correct.
The question of whether Sunderland is making the correct move by allowing Bennette to leave comes down to two things: does the club need him, and does he need a new challenge? In that sense, there is no question. At this point, it is clear that the attacker has no place in Le Bris’ plans, and while, as a 20-year-old, he still has time on his side, both parties must be willing to cut their losses.
Which leads us to Bennette himself. Clearly, he is talented. When he is called to lace up his boots for the U21s, he is frequently one of the brightest sparks on any given pitch; his attitude is exceptional, his application is flawless, and he exudes the electricity of a player who deserves more than the challenge that youth football delivers. Should we be surprised? This is a player who has already appeared in a World Cup and has 15 senior caps to his name.
However, he is also a player who is rapidly nearing a critical stage in his career and development. If he is not careful, he will cross the line between precocious upstart and unrealized potential, and the best way to prevent this is for him to get out there and play senior football in some capacity.
With that in mind, Sunderland is unquestionably doing the right thing by enabling Bennette to consider his exit. Even if it doesn’t benefit the Black Cats in the long run, the forward’s transfer away is certainly the right next step in his career. For his sake, I hope it occurs.
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