"Right way to go" - Wes Brown reacts to ambitious Sunderland AFC transfer deal | OneFootball

Former Sunderland star Wes Brown spoke exclusively to Football League World about the ambitious loan capture of Roma's Enzo Le Fee

Former Sunderland defender Wes Brown has labelled the loan signing of Roma midfielder Enzo Le Fee as a statement of intent from the Championship promotion hopefuls.

The Black Cats are pushing forward in their pursuit of automatic promotion to the Premier League, an aspiration which few expected to be on the agenda before a ball was kicked this term.

Sunderland have held their nerve following an electrifying start to the campaign to remain very much in the running for promotion, with Regis Le Bris' side occupying fourth position with an eleven-point margin over fifth-placed West Bromwich Albion after 29 matches.

Earlier on in this month's window, Sunderland sent out a clear statement of intent by securing an ambitious loan agreement for Le Fee in a deal which includes a mandatory purchase option worth £19.23 million in the event of promotion.

The on-loan Roma midfielder, who was previously regarded among the finest players in his position throughout Ligue 1 during stints with Rennes and Lorient - playing under Le Bris with the latter - has showed his class in the Championship thus far, making three appearances to date.

He will be expected to play an instrumental role in the remainder of the season as Sunderland continue to plug away in their pursuit of a return to the big time.

Wes Brown lauds Sunderland AFC, Enzo Le Fee transfer deal

Le Fee's arrival certainly made waves, with many left shocked at how a Championship club was able to get a deal over the line for a player as talented as the Frenchman.

Brown, who made 76 appearances for Sunderland between 2011 and 2016 after arriving from Manchester United, is similarly impressed by the ambition shown from Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman.

"I think it is [a statement of intent]," Brown exclusively told Football League World, on behalf of NewBettingSites.uk.

"They’re understanding of where they are in the league and especially when you’re fourth and on the doorstep of automatic promotion, I think they understand over the last few years they’ve dropped off and taken their foot off the pedal a little bit.

"This year, I think they’ve attacked it a bit more which is the complete right way to go. It’s paying off, they need to maybe even add another one so they’ve got that depth for the remainder of the season.

"With the confidence they’re showing at the moment, they could get automatic promotion which I’m hoping they do."

Enzo Le Fee should be a star in Sunderland AFC promotion hunt

Make no mistake about it, the 24-year-old will be expected to orchestrate a game-changing impact on his new side's promotion ambitions. The classy midfielder has no shortage of top-level pedigree and proven quality, which one would expect to begin to truly shine through for Sunderland in the weeks and months to come.

We have already seen real glimpses of Le Fee's talent, with his composure on the ball and line-breaking passing range standing out early doors.

Those are key attributes in a side just as comfortable dominating possession in the middle of the park as hitting opponents in transition through the channels, but Sunderland will hope to acquire a new left-sided winger before the window closes in under a week's time in order to push Le Fee out of the unorthodox wide-left position he has been deployed in thus far and back into his favoured central midfield role.