​Sunderland new boy Malick Fofana “can’t wait to get started” for the Black Cats after penning a long-term contract at the Stadium of Light on deadline day following the transfer saga with Crystal Palace.On deadline day, Sunderland had agreed a deal to sign Fofana from Lyon before their Premier League rivals Crystal Palace plotted a hijack of the move, with the London outfit looking to reunite the winger with his former Lyon boss Pierre Sage.For a while, it appeared as though the Belgian international was set to sign for the Eagles, but Sunderland financially outmuscled Palace in the final hours and won the transfer tug-of-war for the highly-rated youngster, completing the £30.8m capture of the 21-year-old talent.Prior to his Sunderland switch, Fofana netted 18 goals and notched six assists for Lyon in 82 outings, with six of those strikes coming within the Europa League competition of which the Black Cats will feature in this season.Following the conclusion of his transfer saga, Fofana made clear his excitement at joining the Stadium of Light project and explained why he wanted to make the Sunderland move.Malick Fofana in action for Lyon against Le Havre AC before Sunderland move (REUTERS)  Malick Fofana Explains Why He Wanted To Join SunderlandFofana is in line to make his debut this afternoon in the Black Cats’ visit to Brentford, and ahead of the clash, the young talent, who comes with high acclaim from one Ligue 1 expert, spoke of his joy to begin his Premier League journey at Sunderland.Earlier this week, Fofana told Sunderland’s media: “I’m very happy and excited to be here, and I can’t wait to get started.“I spoke with a lot of people before coming here and they gave me the feeling they really wanted me. – “It’s been a busy 48 hours, but I can’t wait to get going. I’ve already played in the Europa League and I hope I can bring that experience here.”With Chemsdine Talbi exploring a move from Sunderland to Al-Ittihad, and the Black Cats’ failure to sign a specialist right-winger this summer, it remains likely that Le Bris will utilise Fofana in his preferred role at left-wing, with either Trai Hume or Nilson Angulo operating from the right side at the Gtech Community Stadium this afternoon.Fofana, who excels in 1v1 situations with stunning dribbling ability, pace and technical prowess, also explained that he hopes to bring entertainment and the X-factor for the Sunderland faithful.He added: “I am a creative person and player and I hope people watch me with joy.“The Premier League is a new experience for me, so I hope it’s a great season.“I know with this squad we can do something special.”Stunning Malick Fofana Statistic Will Excite Sunderland FansAhead of his Sunderland arrival, Fofana averaged 8.55 progressive carries per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 over the last two seasons, which places the attacking talent in the top one percent of wingers across Europe’s top five leagues for this metric.Theref