Sunderland contract situation: Who is nearing the end of their current deal?
Since arriving at Sunderland, Kristjaan Speakman and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus have made a point of trying to keep a tighter hold on contracts.
It is something that bit the former owners on the backside more than once, with them losing the likes of Jon McLoughlin and Josh Maja simply because they were not smart enough with their contracts.
Those days have gone, though, and Sunderland appear to manage the situation much better now, although it is an ever-changing kind of thing.
So, what is the contract situation at the club right now and what do Sunderland need to be doing about it?
Which Sunderland players are out of contract next summer?
The next decision Sunderland will likely have on a contract will be Corry Evans.
Evans has now not played for a year after suffering a serious knee injury against Middlesbrough last January.
Sunderland did right by him and extended his contract to allow him to recover, and it may now be time to weigh up whether that needs to be done again.
Evans' new deal was until this summer, but it contained an option to extend by a further year.
In truth, little is known about his recovery and when, or even if, he will get back to playing football. It's always a bit worrying when there have basically been no updates at all in a year.
Bradley Dack is the other player whose contract is due to expire this summer. He signed a one-year deal in August and that move hasn't really worked out.
He has been restricted by injury and he only ever really looked like an offering to appease Tony Mowbray too. With Mowbray now gone to Birmingham, few would be surprised to see Dack end up there with him.
Either way, he's not getting a new deal at Sunderland.
Who else needs a new contract?
In truth, not many at all. Sunderland are in a good position with regards their contract situation.
Niall Huggins is one that they may now want to get sorted out. His current deal runs until 2025, but he is back in the treatment room with a lengthy injury.
Talks were underway before he suffered that injury, and he is a player Sunderland still believe in, so you'd expect them to give him some security while he works himself back to fitness again.
Elliot Embleton is in a similar position. Embleton was once a key part of the squad, but he suffered a serious injury last season against Hull that kept him out for months. He returned earlier this year, went on loan to Derby, and immediately got another long-term injury.
His current deal runs until 2025, so it will be interesting to see how the club handle it.
Then there is Jack Clarke who, like Huggins, is represented by agent Ian Harte. Clarke is under contract until 2026 and Sunderland would ideally like to extend that.
However, talks have been shelved and it now seems largely immaterial unless Sunderland can get promoted to the Premier League this season.
The situation is pretty simple: If Sunderland get promoted in May, Clarke will almost certainly get a new deal. If they don't, he will almost certainly move on for big money long before his current contract starts to run down.
Sunderland will also have to decide what to do with Jack Diamond. The academy product was having a brilliant loan spell at Lincoln last year but had to put his career on hold to fight rape and sexual assault charges.
He has now been found not guilty though, meaning his club suspension has been lifted and he has returned to training. He has just months left on his contract though, so it would surprise no one is every decided a completely fresh start elsewhere would be best for everyone, especially Diamond.
For a full list of which Sunderland players and their current contracts, see below.
Anthony Patterson | 2028 |
Alex Bass | 2025 |
Nathan Bishop | 2026 |
Trai Hume | 2027 (+ 1-year option) |
Dennis Cirkin | 2026 |
Timothee Pambele | 2028 |
Aji Alese | 2025 (+1-year option) |
Niall Huggins | 2025 |
Luke O'Nien | 2026 (+1-year option) |
Dan Ballard | 2027 |
Jenson Seelt | 2028 |
Nectarios Triantis | 2027 |
Joe Anderson | 2026 (+1-year option) |
Leo Hjelde | 2028 |
Corry Evans | 2024 (+1-year option) |
Dan Neil | 2026 |
Jobe Bellingham | 2027 |
Pierre Ekwah | 2027 |
Jay Matete | 2026 |
Elliot Embleton | 2025 |
Patrick Roberts | 2026 (+1-year option) |
Bradley Dack | 2024 (+1-year option) |
Abdoullah Ba | 2027 |
Jack Clarke | 2026 |
Romaine Mundle | 2028 |
Jewison Bennette | 2026 |
Nazariy Rusyn | 2027 (+1-year option) |
Eliezer Mayenda | 2028 |
Luis Hemir | 2028 |
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