Sunderland sign Belgium-based midfielder Jules Ahoka in £8.6m deal

Sunderland have signed 20-year-old midfielder Jules Ahoka from Belgian side Royal Antwerp for €10m (£8.6m) on a long-term contract, the club confirmed on 24 August 2026.

Ahoka is a DR Congo youth international — a player who has represented the Democratic Republic of Congo at underage level — and had already featured in both of Royal Antwerp's league matches this season before making the switch to the North East of England (BBC Sport). Personal terms were agreed earlier in the week, with Sky Sports reporting on 21 August that an £8m deal had been struck and Ahoka given permission to travel for a medical (Sky Sports).

He becomes Sunderland's third signing of the summer window, following right-back Thomas Meunier and Dayann Methalie through the door at the Stadium of Light (BBC Sport).

Director of football Florent Ghisolfi said the club had been following Ahoka closely and believes the midfielder has "huge potential." That phrase carries weight coming from a sporting director rather than an agent — it suggests a player identified through scouting homework, not a panic buy in the final days of the window.

For Sunderland supporters, the deal offers a familiar blend of excitement and patience. A 20-year-old arriving from a Belgian league that has quietly become one of Europe's most reliable finishing schools — a competition where young talent gets real minutes before stepping up to bigger stages — fits a pattern the club have leaned into under their current hierarchy.

Ahoka's task now is to settle quickly. He has already played competitive football this month, which means match sharpness should not be an issue. The bigger adjustment is tactical: the pace and physicality of English football, particularly in a Sunderland side pressing for promotion, demands adaptation fast.

Three signings in, Sunderland's summer business has a clear shape — experience alongside youth, with Ahoka the latest and youngest piece of that puzzle.