Sunderland have completed the signing of the experienced Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier on a two-year deal as Régis Le Bris’s team step up preparations for a second successive season in the Premier League alongside a Europa League campaign.
- Thomas Meunier said he's hugely excited and honoured to join Sunderland, praising the club's ambition and the chance to compete in Europe.
- Capped 83 times for Belgium, recently returned from the World Cup and was a free agent after leaving Lille.
- Experienced at Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, with extensive Champions League and Europa League pedigree and 6ft 3in presence.
Meunier, who has just returned from the World Cup, has been capped 83 times by Belgium and was a free agent after the expiration of his contract at Lille. The 34-year-old is Sunderland’s first summer signing.
“I’m hugely excited and honoured to join Sunderland,” said Meunier. “When I spoke with the club I was impressed by the ambition, the project and the desire to keep moving forward. Competing in Europe was also a big factor in my decision. I hope I can bring my experience to the squad, both on and off the pitch.”
During the course of a career featuring successful stints at Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, Meunier made 43 Champions League appearances and 33 Europa League appearances. At 6ft 3in he offers an amalgam of physical presence and attacking threat from right-back, where he is likely to compete with Northern Ireland’s Trai Hume, with his arrival potentially allowing Nordi Mukiele to relocate from full-back to centre-back.
