ARTHUR MASUAKU: WHO ARE YOU?

Sunderland have recently confirmed signings number 10 and 11 of the summer transfer window and player number 10 is 31-year-old left back Arthur Masuaku on a free transfer. Here’s how the DR Congo international has fared so far in his career:

Born in Lille, France, in 1993, Masuaku came through the academies of Lille and Valenciennes before graduating to the latter’s senior team in 2013. His debut in professional football came in January 2013 in a Coupe de France match from off of the bench. His next game wouldn’t come until August, this time in Ligue 1, but after November he really broke into the side and ended the 2013/14 campaign with 28 appearances, one goal and five assists in all competitions. That goal, his first in men’s football, came in a 2-1 loss to Marseille.

In the summer of 2014, he transferred to Olympiacos in Greece and would go on to enjoy the most successful period in his career. Whilst there, he won two league titles, a Greek Cup and was named in the Super League Greece Team of the Season twice. In total, in his two and a bit seasons there, he played 74 games, scoring on two occasions and chipping in with seven assists. On his Champions League debut, in September 2014, the defender scored the opening goal in a 3-2 victory against Atlético Madrid.

He moved to England with West Ham in August 2016 but spent much of his debut campaign with the Hammers on the treatment table with a knee injury. This limited him to just 15 appearances and one assist in all competitions. Arthur made a much bigger impact in his second season in London, though, getting on the pitch 33 times and netting his first goal for the club against Bolton Wanderers in a League Cup win. In January 2017, he was shown his first red card of his career, this came in an FA Cup match versus Wigan Athletic, as he spat at one of his opponents. He apologised for the incident and served a six match suspension. His game time became more and more sporadic over the following three seasons, dropping from 27 games then to 19 games and then to 13 games played in all competitions. West Ham qualified for Europe at the end of the 2020/21 campaign and, so, he was slightly more involved in the next season, his final one at the club. His second, and last, goal for the Irons was an important one, he scored in the 87th minute to win his team the game at home to Chelsea in the Premier League with a misdirected cross. Masuaku also played in the Europa League. All in all, the Congolese full back turned out for West Ham 128 times, helping out with 10 assists.

Beşiktaş came calling in summer 2022, with the defender initially joining on a season-long loan. This loan spell saw just over 30 games, two goals and an assist. The highlight of the season was definitely when he scored the winner at home to Adana Demirspor via a direct free kick. In April 2023, his adoptive club chose to use their option to buy clause and bring him to Turkey on a permanent basis. The second year in Istanbul saw him feature in the Conference League and win the Turkish Cup. His game time was somewhat limited however, due to a hamstring strain and also cartilage damage. Last season, he picked up another trophy in the form of the Turkish Super Cup, he also scored in the Europa League against Eintracht Frankfurt and registered 10 assists across his 47 games. He departed the club at the end of the season with 108 games, three goals and 18 assists total for the club.

On the international stage, he represented France at an U18 and U19 level before switching allegiance to DR Congo. Both of his parents are from the Central African country. His first cap came in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier defeat to Zimbabwe in 2018 and he scored his first goal for his country in 2019 in a friendly draw with Kenya. He has represented the Leopards at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, in 2019 and 2024. He has 27 caps and has scored three goals in total.

According to the West Ham fan we spoke to, he’s better as a wing back than as a traditional full back. This contrasts with Reinildo who is better defensively (the Mozambican has just two assists to his name at a club level in over 250 games) so offers us something different. If we are chasing a game we could potentially bring him on. He’s also been described as someone who doesn’t slouch or complain about being on the sidelines, that’s good as he won’t be a negative influence on the dressing room and he’s likely to be second choice behind Reinildo you’d assume. Finally, his signing means we have the option to play him out on the left and then move Reinildo into the middle, so he’s giving us depth in two positions essentially.