Sunderland: Bertrand Traoré explains the reasons behind his choice

While currently with the Burkina Faso national team, Bertrand Traoré has opened up about his decision to sign with Sunderland in England.

On Monday evening, Sunderland announced the signing of Bertrand Traoré. The transfer came about under rather unique circumstances, as the Burkinabè international revealed this Wednesday, following the Stallions' training session ahead of the 7th and 8th rounds of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

"First of all, it's a huge source of pride for me to return to the Premier League. This is football; unexpected things happen. This opportunity presented itself at the very last moments of the transfer window. As a competitor, I preferred to seize the chance," explained Bertrand Traoré.

The Burkina Faso international then reiterated his ambitions with this new challenge: "My goal is also to stay at the highest level for as long as possible. After a strong season with Ajax, I think it's been several years—I'm not even sure, since I started my professional career, if I've ever managed to play so many matches in a season without injury."

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.