Sunderland couldn't start Mike Dodds' reign back as interim boss with a bang against Swansea City last weekend, as the Black Cats ended up losing 2-1 to Luke Williams' Swans at the Stadium of Light.
A number of key first-teamers let the Wearside outfit down in the narrow defeat, with the likes of reliable central midfield presence Dan Neil only winning one duel all afternoon in a passive display.
Yet, Sunderland's troubles aren't just restricted to the XI fielded by Dodds on the football pitch with this high earner currently bleeding the Black Cats dry waiting in the wings.
Earning more than double Trai Hume's wage, this fringe figure at Sunderland could soon be actively pushed out of the building to free up more wage space.
Timothee Pembele's wage at Sunderland
Timothee Pembele finds himself on a handsome £7.5k per week pay packet with Sunderland, despite barely making an impression on the senior ranks since joining last year from Paris St. Germain.
The 21-year-old starlet has made just five first-team appearances for the Black Cats since leaving Paris behind, which has seen Pembele make more waves at U21 level for the Championship side – picking up two assists in the Premier League 2 when drafted in to play there.
Still, when you scan your eye over the other earners in the Sunderland camp, it's fair to say Pembele's wage is rather inflated.
The Black Cats number six's last taste of senior football was on Valentine's Day versus Huddersfield Town, winning only one of his four ground duels on the day as Sunderland succumbed to a disappointing 1-0 defeat away at the Terriers.
This lacklustre cameo from off the bench has seen his limited game-time dry up even more, with Dodds now faced with a conundrum over whether to give Pembele more minutes in the first-team fold or leave him to play for the U21s.
More time to adjust to the senior set-up and shine could somewhat justify Pembele's extortionate wage, but with Trai Hume's spot fixed at right-back again owing to Leo Hjelde joining in January, it could well be hard for the ex-PSG full-back to ever fully break through.
Pembele's wage compared to the Sunderland squad
Amazingly, even though Hume is yet to miss a game this season for Sunderland in the league, the Northern Irish star comes in on a lower wage than Pembele according to Capology.
Hume earns a meagre £3k compared to the Frenchman's more than double £7.5k per week salary, despite being a dependable figure all campaign long for Sunderland even when times have been tough.
The 21-year-old even shone in a recent 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City that saw Michael Beale lose his job in the aftermath, completing eight tackles and eight ground duels to try and add grit to his side's game at St Andrew's.
#1 Jack Clarke
£17k
#2 Bradley Dack
£15k
#3 Dan Ballard
£15k
#4 Patrick Roberts
£12.5k
#5 Dennis Cirkin
£10k
Pembele also comes in on a heftier pay packet than the likes of Jobe Bellingham and Pierre Ekwah who regularly star in midfield for the Black Cats – the midfield duo coming in at a combined 65 first-team appearances this season but earn £6.5k per week and £3k per week respectively.
The obvious pedigree attached to the 21-year-old's signature – joining from Ligue 1 giants PSG – clearly has resulted in his wage being far higher than it needed to be.
It could well be premature to completely write off the Frenchman's future at the second-tier club, but with various key first-team presences earning less than the reserve figure, it might well be smart to offload Pembele soon to not have such a high earner just stuck on the fringes.
