Le Havre officially announce the signing of Timothée Pembélé and Sota Nakamura from Sunderland and Sanfrecce Hiroshima respectively..

Le Havre announced on their official website on Friday that they have signed French defender Timothée Pembélé from Sunderland and Japan international forward Sota Nakamura from Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

According to Le Havre's official statement, Pembélé has signed on a three-year contract which runs until the summer of 2029; Nakamura will play for the club on-loan until the end of the new season, the loan agreement includes a non-mandatory buy-out clause.

About Timothée Pembélé

The 23-year-old Timothée Pembéléwas born on September 9, 2002, in Beaumont-sur-Oise, France. He is 1.83 meters tall and primarily plays as a right-back, but can also play as a center-back or right midfielder. He holds dual French and Democratic Republic of Congo citizenship.

Pembélé joined Paris Saint-Germain's youth academy at the age of 13 and completed his PSG first-team debut by coming on as a substitute in November 2020.

During his two-year spell at Les Parisiens, Pembélé won one Ligue 1 title, one Coupe de France, and one Trophée des Champions. He also spent time on-loan at Bordeaux.

On the 2023 winter transfer window deadline day, Pembélé joined Sunderland for €1 million.

However, during his time at the Premier League club, Pembélé received very few playing opportunities.

In the summer of 2024, Pembélé joined Le Havre on a two-year loan.

Since joining Le Havre, Pembélé has so far made 35 appearances for the Ligue 1 club in all competitions, scoring one goal.

About Sota Nakamura

The 23-year-old Sota Nakamura was born on October 15, 2002, in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. He is 1.68 meters tall and primarily plays as a center forward, but can also play as a left winger, right winger, or attacking midfielder.

Nakamura, a graduate of Maebashi Ikuei High School in Gunma Prefecture, entered Meiji University in 2018. During his time at Meiji, he won the Kanto University League Golden Boot and MVP awards for two consecutive years.

In early 2025, Nakamura joined Sanfrecce Hiroshima and completed his Sanfrecce Hiroshima first-team debut in an AFC Champions League match in February of that year.

Despite the needs to balance his studies, Nakamura's outstanding performances earned him a call-up to the Japan senior national team.

During his year-and-a-half-spell with Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Nakamura made 71 appearances for the J1 League club in all competitions, scoring 18 goals and providing 10 assists. He helped the team win one Emperor's Cup and one Japanese Super Cup.

Image source: Internet / Le Havre official website