SUNDERLAND beat the deadline to make two last gasp signings on deadline day, with defender Timothée Pembélé joining from PSG and midfielder Adil Aouchiche arriving from Lorient.

Pembélé, 20, and 21-year-old Aouchiche both signed five-year deals.

Pembélé, who replaces Lynden Gooch after his move to Stoke City, has made 37 senior appearances in Ligue 1, including 11 for PSG. He made his PSG debut in November 2020 in a team that included Kylian Mbappé and Neymar before making his Champions League debut the following week.

Sunderland's sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: “Timothée possesses a range of attributes that we wanted to add to our squad this summer, which will build depth and add competition within the group.

"The fact he has chosen to commit his long-term future to our club is a testament to our continued progress and we look forward to helping him settle into life at Sunderland AFC.

"We will be patient with him as he builds his fitness and then competes for a place in our team, but we are delighted to welcome Timothée to Wearside and believe he can become an important player for us.”

Aouchiche has made more than 80 senior appearances in the French top flight and he was a 2020 Golden Boy Award nominee.

Speakman said: “Adil broke onto the scene in the French top tier and despite his age, he has made a significant number of appearances.

"More recently he has not played regularly, but we believe in his talent and flexibility, and his potential to further improve in our environment. His challenge now is to break into a highly competitive team and forge his way in the Championship, but we are looking forward to supporting him in that process and we will ensure he has everything he needs to succeed throughout his time at the Stadium of Light.”

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The French duo followed strikers Mason Burstow and Nazariy Rusyn through the door at Sunderland, while the Black Cats also kept hold of Patrick Roberts despite Southampton's late move for the winger.

Ross Stewart joined the Saints, however, signing a three-year deal, while Lynden Gooch's 17-year association with the club came to an end as he completed his move to Stoke City.

Elliot Embleton was also on the move, linking up with Derby County on loan until the end of the season.

And Danny Batth also completed his exit, joining Norwich City just before the deadline.

Speakman said: "Danny is a highly respected player and he’s been an absolute professional throughout his time at Sunderland AFC, which is exactly why we brought him to the club.

"He’s not featured in our team this season and it’s in his nature to want to play games regularly, and compete week-in, week-out. Following an open dialogue with him throughout the summer, we took the difficult decision to agree to allow him to leave the club if the right opportunity presented itself and we wish him all the best.”