Jenson Seelt embarked on the next step of his football journey, he would have anticipated the odd setbacks when he left PSV Eindhoven’s youth ranks to join to Sunderland in the summer. However, Nothing could have prepared him for the rollercoaster journey that is life with the Black Cats.
After just eight months with Sunderland, he has already had three different head coaches, and a fourth is expected to take over in the summer after Mike Dodds’ current interim tenure ends. There have been memorable moments, like his senior debut in a 3-0 rout of Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough or his first Sunderland goal in a 3-1 victory over Birmingham at home.
There have also been many low moments, not the least of which is the last four games in which the Black Cats have lost four in a row for the first time since Sam Allardyce’s tenure as manager.
Seelt, a twenty-year-old rookie who is still getting used to life in a foreign nation, has had to show maturity beyond his years in order to handle all that has been thrown at him in his short time as a Sunderland player. In the end, though, he’s still convinced that moving to Wearside was the best decision for his career.
No regrets for Jenson
“I’m really happy with my move,” said the defender, who progressed through the youth ranks at NEC before joining PSV’s acadgoodemy set-up in 2017. “I’m dealing with the path I’ve chosen. I chose for Sunderland, and I will give everything to make it a good story. I think I’m in a good way and trying to develop and learn every day.
“The intensity is so much higher than in Holland. Every moment you have to be on the front foot and keep focused because the games come really fast. But it’s really for me.”
The past few months have been incredibly trying for Sunderland, as their performance has suffered due to significant off-field instability that included the controversial dismissal of Tony Mowbary, the controversial appointment of Michael Beale, and the hasty installation of Dodds as interim manager until the end of the season.
Jenson optimistic
Seelt acknowledges that the Black Cats’ performances and results have fallen short of expectations, but he maintains that team spirit is high and that the team is committed to working with Dodds to make sure things start to get better.
“We have such a good group,” he said. “We’re not negative at all. The coach is talking to us and telling us to keep going with the progress we’re making and don’t let anything from the outside affect our focus. At the moment, we’re just trying to stay really close as a group.
“We feel as though we’re close to a win, and that’s what the manager has said to us as well. We need to keep fighting until the momentum switches our way, and hopefully that’s going to be soon.”
Sunderland’s next opportunity to resume winning ways is on Saturday against Southampton, and Seelt acknowledges that the team as a whole needs to start stepping up their offensive production.
“It’s harsh, but in the end, we should look at ourselves,” said Seelt. “If you get into the spaces around the 18-yard box so much, we have to be more aggressive or maybe a little bit more brave. We have to find a way to score more goals because, in the end, it’s the only way we can get points.”
The Black Cats have scored just two goals in their last five games, and remain without their leading scorer and attacking talisman, Jack Clarke, who is recovering from an ankle ligament injury.