Sunderland defender explains ambition ahead of Leeds United and West Brom fixtures after 'hard' spell

Aji Alese says it was a no-brainer to sign a new contract at Sunderland and has loved his time at the club so far.

The 23-year-old defender joined the Black Cats from West Ham in 2022, before making 24 senior appearances during his first campaign on Wearside. This season has been more challenging due to injury setbacks, yet Alese recently signed a two-year contract extension which will run until 2027.

“It was a no-brainer really,” the defender explained when asked about his new deal. “When I’ve played for the club I’ve really enjoyed it. I feel like I’ve played well. I like the area, I like the fans, I like the club so I’m not thinking of leaving anytime soon.

“The way we play, the atmosphere from the fans, the confidence that the staff give the players and freedom the staff give the players really helps a lot. It’s easy to buy into.”

Alese made his first senior appearance since January when he came off the bench against Bristol City on Saturday, with the defender unavailable in recent months due to a quad injury. “It’s hard,” Alese admitted when asked about his spell on the sidelines. “My family and friends are back home so where I’m not playing, where I don’t have the distraction of football I also don’t have that distraction of friends and family.

“Sometimes it can just be me by myself thinking I have to get fit. I love playing football so whenever I’m out I’ll always work hard to get back and look for something to try and fill that void in the meantime.”

Sunderland have five league games remaining this season, starting with Tuesday’s trip to promotion chasers Leeds, before another away game at West Brom. When asked about his ambitions for the remainder of the campaign, Alese replied: “I want to use the last five games to get as many minutes as possible and get myself in a position where I can have a little break over the summer and come back ready for pre-season.”

“The ambition is just to pick up as many points as possible. We’ve got some tough games against teams who are going for promotion and we will test ourselves against them to show what we can do.”