Sunderland loanee Pierre Ekwah has been labelled “monotone” and “disappointing” by reports in France amid his ongoing stint at Saint Etienne.

The midfielder left the Stadium of Ligh to sign for the Ligue 1 outfit on a temporary basis during the summer transfer window, but has found himself embroiled in a relegation battle in his home country, with his new club currently languishing in a survival play-off spot, just one point clear of the bottom two.

For his part, Ekwah has registered 18 league appearances for Saint Etienne so far this term, and has regularly been deployed as a deep-lying presence in the heart of midfield. During the January transfer window, however, the French side moved to bring in Maxime Bernauer on loan from Dinamo Zagreb, and while the 26-year-old usually operates as a centre-back or a full-back, he is also capable of playing just in front of a back four.

It is within this context that journalist Laurent Hess has called for him to replace Ekwah in Saint Etienne’s starting XI following a series of, what he perceives to be, underwhelming displays.

Writing for But! Football Club, the reporter said: “Personally, I am campaigning for [Saint Etienne boss Eirik] Horneland to include him as number 6, in front of the defence. In this key position, I have trouble understanding how Pierre Ekwah can start from start to finish without any questioning, when the team is not rotating, it is conceding a lot of goals, and the performances of the player on loan from Sunderland are often disappointing.

“I find that Ekwah lacks consistency, speed, and that he is ‘monotone’ in what he does, always at the same pace. Bernauer could be an alternative in this role, with his quality of recovery and his size. This is where he would have the most impact, I think, and it would have the merit of redistributing certain cards.”

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At the time of writing, Saint Etienne are currently on a run of just one win in their last 11 matches, and were thrashed 5-1 by Marseille on Saturday afternoon. In an interview last week, Ekwah himself addressed the club’s poor form. As per Sport.FR, the 23-year-old said: “What I remember above all is that they [the fans] are as disappointed as us but that they are fully behind us.

“At the next home game, they will be there. We are in the same boat. It was more of a message of strength, we take it like that anyway. We will fight for them, for us and for the green people because the green people must stay in Ligue

Meanwhile, a recent report from Football League World has suggested that Sunderland have made a decision about Ekwah’s long-term future on Wearside, stating that the Black Cats have “no plans” to reintegrate him back into their squad once his loan in France has concluded. For their part, Saint Etienne have the option of buying the player on a permanent basis at the end of the season, but it remains to be seen whether they will exercise that clause.

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