Sunderland are currently monitoring former Fulham winger Kerim Frei according to reports along with West Bromwich Albion who are also interested. Born in Austria, Kerim Frei is of Moroccan and Turkish heritage, although has chosen to represent his country of birth on an international level.
Initially beginning his career at Austrian team Grasshopper, Fulham scouts had spotted his talent and signed him to their youth team in 2010. After spending a year in the youth academy of the Cottagers, the player made it to the first team with his senior debut on July 2011 in a Europa League game against NSI Runavik.
Frei is a player who has got the skills and pace and is a decent finisher but he has never been a goalscorer. In fact in his two years at England where he even spent half a season on loan to Cardiff, he failed to score a single goal. The only goal he scored during his time with Fulham was in the Europa League.
In 2013, he joined Turkish club Besiktas and has made 98 appearances for the club till now scoring 9 goals. The winger has been largely reduced to making substitute appearances for his current club and has fallen out of favour lately with just two appearances to show for this season.
Sunderland manager David Moyes knows he needs to get in some reinforcements in the winter being far too stretched for options and Frei can be a player they can sign who will bring with him some Premier League experience. His previous stint at Fulham means he is fully aware of the conditions he will be facing and despite being only 22, the winger will be bringing with him some much-needed experience.
The Turkish international does have the potential but could never fully translate it onto the field. Working under a manager like David Moyes will be a very big attraction on that front as the Scotsman has a history of getting his young players successfully improve their performances.
With sufficient speed and movement at his disposal, Frei can offer the option for his manager David Moyes wants. The Turkish midfielder can also provide the creativity which the Black Cats lack in their game. Hence, Frei can be a decent signing for Sunderland if Moyes can get the best out of him in terms of his gameplay and positioning which seems to be the key should he make his return back to the Premier League.
