Fri Jul 15, 2022 12:44 pm
Sunderland AFC is delighted to announce the signing of Aji Alese for an undisclosed fee.
The central defender moves to the Stadium of Light from West Ham United and signs an initial three-year deal, with a Club option of a further year.
Alese has represented England at every level from Under-16 to Under-20 and has also gained valuable senior experience on loan with Accrington Stanley and Cambridge United.
The 21-year-old joined the Hammers aged eight and rapidly rose through the Club’s academy system, making his Under-18 debut in 2017 whilst still a schoolboy.
Alese signed his first professional contract 12 months later and was the recipient of The Dylan Tombides Award during the 2018-19 season, which is given annually to the Academy’s outstanding Scholar.
Following a loan spell at the Wham Stadium in 2019-20, he completed his journey to the senior set up in September 2020 by starting for David Moyes’ side in a 5-1 Carabao Cup victory over Hull City.