Pierre Ekwah

Pierre-Emmanuel Ekwah Elimby (born 15 January 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Sunderland.

Pierre Ekwah
Personal information
Full name Pierre-Emmanuel Ekwah Elimby[1]
Date of birth (2002-01-15) 15 January 2002
Place of birth Massy, France[2]
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Sunderland
Number 39
Youth career
2009–2011 RC Arpajonnais
2011–2016 Bretigny FCS
2016–2017 CFF Paris
2017–2018 Nantes
2018–2021 Chelsea
2021–2023 West Ham United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– Sunderland 23 (2)
International career‡
2017–2018 France U16 13 (1)
2021–2022 France U20 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:02, 24 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:42, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Born in Massy, Essonne, just outside of Paris, Ekwah began his career with amateur sides RC Arpajonnais, Bretigny FCS and CFF Paris, also spending two years in the INF Clairefontaine academy.[2][3] He joined Nantes in 2017, spending one season before moving to England to join the academy of Chelsea.[4]

After three years with The Blues, in which he played in the UEFA Youth League and trained with the first team, he was linked with a move away from the club in 2021, going on trial with Portsmouth.[4] He also trialled with West Ham United, playing the last two Premier League 2 games of the 2020–21 season for The Hammers, scoring once against Arsenal.[5]

On 9 June 2021, West Ham United announced the signing of Ekwah from Chelsea on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[5][6]

Sunderland

After a year and a half, in which he was unable to break into the West Ham United first team, featuring in the EFL Trophy for the club's under-21 side, he was linked with a loan move to EFL Championship side Sunderland in January 2023.[7] On 23 January 2023, he moved to Sunderland on a permanent transfer, penning a four-and-a-half year deal.[8][9]

International career

Ekwah is of Ghanaian and Cameroonian descent.[10][3] Ekwah has represented France at youth international level.[2]

Style of play

A powerful figure, standing at 1.89 m tall, he has stated that his favourite role on the pitch is as a box-to-box midfielder, and lists Zinedine Zidane as his childhood idol.[3] He has also played as a defensive midfielder, as well as dropping in to the back line to play as a left-back or centre-back.[3][5]

Personal life

Ekwah is the cousin of the footballers Paul-Georges Ntep, Ludéric, Romaric and Emeric Etonde, and the brother of the rugby player Charles-Edouard Ekwah Elimby.[11]

Career statistics
As of match played 24 October 2023[12]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
West Ham United U21 2021–22 —————2[lower-alpha 1]020
2022–23 —————3[lower-alpha 1]030
Sunderland 2022–23 EFL Championship 14020——2[lower-alpha 2]0180
2023–24 EFL Championship 920010—00102
Total 23220100020282
Career total 23220100070332
  1. Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy
  2. Appearance(s) in the Championship play-offs

References
  1. Pierre Ekwah at WorldFootball.net
  2. Pierre Ekwah at the French Football Federation (archived) (in French)
  3. Graham, Michael (16 January 2023). "Who is Sunderland midfield target Pierre Ekwah?". si.com. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  4. Warlow, Rob (7 June 2021). "Former Portsmouth trialist set for West Ham switch amid Chelsea transfer decision". hampshirelive.news. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  5. "West Ham United sign promising French midfielder Pierre Ekwah Elimby". whufc.com. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  6. Rosser, Jack (9 June 2021). "Pierre Ekwah Elimby: West Ham's new signing wants to emulate Declan Rice after leaving Chelsea". standard.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  7. Jones, Oliver (17 January 2023). "Sunderland set for Premier League loan boost with Pierre Ekwah loan deal 'expected'". chroniclelive.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  8. "Pierre Ekwah signs for Sunderland". safc.com. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  9. "Sunderland sign midfielder Ekwah from West Ham" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  10. Ebobisse, Junior Emmanuel (January 24, 2023). "Mercato : Emmanuel Ekwah Elimby rejoint Sunderland - Allez Les Lions". allezleslions.net.
  11. à 19h56, Par V. M. Le 4 juin 2020 (June 4, 2020). "Rugby, Fédérale 1 : Beauvais muscle sa première ligne". leparisien.fr.
  12. Pierre Ekwah at Soccerway
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