Former EFL player Sam Parkin believes Sunderland’s defensive combo of Luke O’Nien and Chris Mepham is exceptional. Sunderland signed Mepham from Bournemouth to greatly bolster their defence, and the 26-year-old centre-back has formed an effective partnership with O’Nien at the heart of Regis Le Bris’ defence. Mepham and O’Nien’s pairing has appeared in six league games thus far, and they have helped Sunderland maintain three clean sheets.
Parkin is delighted with Sunderland’s defensive consistency this season, admitting that he had previously questioned the strength of the Black Cats’ centre-backs. The former Championship player believes Mepham is an excellent addition to Le Bris’ squad and claims he has created a wonderful defensive relationship with O’Nien. “I wasn’t all in on Sunderland’s defensive setup over the last few years and probably questioned whether the centre-halves were strong enough,” Parkin remarked on the Championship Check-In show. “I think with the addition of Mepham, that combination with him and O’Nien is looking incredible right now.”
Sunderland are now at the top of the Championship table, and the Stadium of Light club may soon begin to dream of automatic promotion.
Leave a Reply