JOCELIN TA BI: WHO ARE YOU?

Sunderland have completed their first signing of the January transfer window, bringing in 20-year-old right winger Jocelin Ta Bi from Israeli Premier League team Maccabi Netanya for a fee of £3.5 million on a four-and-a-half year deal, with a club option of an additional year.

Born in Abdijan, Ivory Coast, in 2005, Ta Bi began his career with JC Abdijan before moving to Israeli club Beitar Tubruk in 2023. A year later, he was picked up by Maccabi Netanya for €800k and within two months was loaned out to second division side Hapoel Petah Tikva. He made his debut in September 2024, from the bench, in a 3-2 away win against Hapoel Kfar Saba.

The next month he registered his first assist, setting up his team’s first in a 2-0 win on the road versus Hapoel Afula. Later in the same month, he netted his first goal in another 2-0 away win, this time against Hapoel Rishon LeZion (a team who had once released him because he couldn’t speak English or Hebrew). Ta Bi then grabbed the assist for the second goal to wrap up the victory. Jocelin, in November, scored his first brace, finding the back of the net twice in a 3-2 triumph on home soil. His other two goals that season came in a big 5-0 win in April 2025. Overall, he netted five and assisted three in 27 appearances in his debut campaign.

This season, he remained on loan at Hapoel Petah Tikva, ironically scoring his first goal of the season against his parent club, helping to defeat them. His only other goal ensured his team earned a point against league leaders Hapoel Beer Sheva in December of last year.

When he first came to Israel, he had to borrow a pair of boots and had to use a translation app to communicate with his teammates at Beitar Tubruk. His positive goal scoring record was the reason he was signed by a club in the top flight, after spending his first season playing youth football.

One of his biggest strengths is his dribbling, he leads the Israeli top flight for successful dribbles per 90 (4.0). Definetely one for the future, Ta Bi will likely be given some time before being thrown into first team action. He can also be used as an attacking midfielder and second striker in addition to on the right side of the wing.