https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/s...ore-reveals-sunderland-first-tried-sign-2016/ HAVING turned down the opportunity to join Sunderland once, Bertrand Traore was not about to reject a second chance to move to the Stadium of Light. And while the 30-year-old forward was always confident he was joining a club with high ambitions, even he has been surprised by the quality of the footballing environment he has moved into on Wearside. When Traore was struggling to break into the first-team ranks at Chelsea in the summer of 2016, a number of clubs approached him to offer a loan move. Sunderland, then a Premier League club under David Moyes, were one of them. But Traore instead opted to join Ajax and play in the Dutch Eridivisie... “I had the chance to join Sunderland a few years ago when I was still playing for Chelsea,” revealed Traore. “Then, I chose to go to Ajax, but then now, it’s the second time the chance came back to me. And I was happy to join this club. “I would say they've been in my mind all this time. At some point, I had contact with Sunderland when I was younger, but it didn’t happen. And then now, it was the second time, it happened. So, I’m happy to wear the colours of Sunderland... “When I got the call, I was with the national team, and I didn’t hesitate even one second,” he said. “It was okay for me, it was a normal decision for me to join this team. I was following the Premier League and I saw they were already doing good at the start [of the season], so it was a good opportunity for me. I left Ajax and the Champions League to come to such a club, but it’s a big club. “They have been struggling for the last few years, but now they're back in the top-flight and they're doing well. So yeah, I want to be part of this. And then I also like challenges. This is one of the big challenges we have this season.” Traore was one of 14 signings made by Sunderland this summer, so there was always going to be an element of the unknown about how Regis Le Bris and his players would fare in the Premier League.The 30-year-old knew a number of his new team-mates already, and it did not take long for him to be wowed by the quality of the rest of the players he had joined up with. “I knew the name of the players before, some I had faced in the past,” said Traore. “But to be honest, I was surprised about the quality of the players and the atmosphere around the team. And also the quality of the work from the whole staff. “So, it’s really fantastic. And then Granit [Xhaka] is one of the best captains I’ve had in my career so far. He always has the right words, always has the right attitude and mentality. He transferred this to all the players, in the dressing room and on the pitch. It’s been brilliant for all of us this season so far - we hope we will continue like this.” Sunderland’s next challenge is their toughest, with league leaders Arsenal visiting the Stadium of Light on Saturday teatime. Not, however, that Traore and his team-mates will be overawed. “First of all, we’ll try to recover from the [Everton] game, then we’ll start directly to prepare against Arsenal,” he said. “Of course, we want to make results in every game. We take it game by game, so we’ll get prepared and then be back on Saturday at home to try to get the three points.”
