Le Fee reveals why he left Roma for Sunderland: ‘I was sad because I wasn’t enjoying playing’

The French midfielder joined Roma in the summer of 2024 from Rennes with considerable promise, but struggled to make any meaningful impact at the Stadio Olimpico, managing just ten appearances before departing on loan to Sunderland in January 2025.

The English club subsequently made the move permanent last summer upon their return to the Premier League.

Le Fee: ‘I left Roma to rediscover my confidence’

Speaking to The Analyst, via TuttoMercatoWeb the Frenchman was candid about why the move to Serie A never worked out.

“At Roma I was a little sad because I wasn’t enjoying playing football,” he said.

“When I’m not enjoying myself on the pitch, I’m really sad. I wanted to rediscover my confidence, that’s why I came to Sunderland, because I knew that Regis Le Bris could give me everything I need to perform at my best.”

The mention of Sunderland head coach Le Bris is telling.

The Frenchman has built a reputation for developing technically gifted midfielders and creating an environment in which players can express themselves freely, precisely the kind of setting Le Fée felt he was missing in Rome.

It is a frank and somewhat sobering admission from a player who arrived in Serie A as one of the more exciting French midfield prospects of his generation.

Whether he can rediscover that form consistently in England remains to be seen, but on the evidence of his own words, the move to Wearside has already gone some way to restoring his love of the game.