Ivory Coast winger Jocelin Ta Bi to remain sidelined despite Sunderland move

Southampton coach Régis Le Bris has outlined the club’s plans for new signing Jocelin Ta Bi, highlighting the winger’s potential while stressing the importance of patience as he adapts to life on Wearside.

The 20-year-old Ivory Coast international, became Sunderland’s first signing of the January window, arriving from five-time Israeli champions Maccabi Netanya for an undisclosed fee.

Jocelin agreed a four-and-a-half-year contract at the Stadium of Light, with the Club holding an option of a further year.

‘He’s young winger with specific profile’

“We’ll have to manage his ankle,” Le Bris told Sunderland website. “It was not too serious, but we’ll have to wait two or three weeks to build his fitness.”

He added: “He’s a young winger with a specific profile. It’s rare in this industry to find this explosiveness and skills to dribble and to have this courage and personality in one vs ones. He has this quality.

“Now we have to build his profile to get ready for the Premier League. You never know [how long it will take him to be ready]. Sometimes they can step up really quickly, but this is the identity of our club.”

He concluded: “We can’t buy a full squad of experienced players like Granit or Nordi. We also have to build with young lads and give them opportunities and support them. I hope they will be strong players for us.”

At Hapoel Petah Tikva, Jocelin made 12 league appearances and contributed two goals and two assists.