Sunderland transfer latest: What to expect heading towards the deadline

What is the latest on transfers, and is there anything in the Agustin Giay rumours?

Author:
Michael Graham
Updated:
Jan 18, 2023 6:31 AM EST
Original:
Jan 18, 2023

There are less than two weeks left of the January transfer window and Sunderland are yet to make a signing.

In fact, with the departures of Ellis Simms and Jay Matete, the squad actually looks a lot weaker than it did in December.

Despite that, there appears to be far more reasons for Sunderland fans to be excited about the next 13 days than there are to be worried.

So, what’s the latest transfer situation at Sunderland as we head into the crunch time of the window?

What positions do Sunderland want to strengthen?

Sunderland have been very transparent with this, so we can say with a lot of confidence that they are targeting a central midfielder and two strikers.

Cast your minds back two years and you’ll remember Ross Stewart arriving, almost innocuously, as an unknown from Ross County. He started slowly, played second fiddle to Charlie Wyke, and made occasional contributions from the bench.

That is a trick Sunderland are trying to repeat this month. They want to sign a young striker who they can embed into the squad for the next six months without any pressure or expectation, with the hope he can make his main impact the following season.

It’s important to note that was the plan even before Ellis Simms left, so a replacement for the Everton man – someone who can be expected to produce in the here and now – is an extra hassle the club were not expecting.

In terms of central midfield, Sunderland appear quite strong already with Corry Evans, Dan Neil, Edouard Michut and Abdoullah Ba.

That, though, is misleading. There is a feeling within the Sunderland coaching team that Ba, whilst clearly extremely talented, currently lacks the tactical discipline to be relied upon in a central midfield role.

So, for the moment, he is considered more of an attacking option and has probably stepped into the spot temporarily vacated by Elliot Embleton due to injury.

The ‘now’ striker

While it sounds simple enough to just go out and get a striker to score goals now, it’s the hardest position by far to fill, especially if you’re not wanting to pay for heavily for one.

There are very few of them around and everyone wants them. Sunderland, then, face a lot of competition for any striker of any real pedigree on loan. There is also the complication of Ross Stewart being so firmly established, as other Championship bidders could guarantee Premier League clubs more minutes for their players.

Of course, in many cases there will be a reluctance to let strikers go at all. We got a nasty taste of that with Ellis Simms who, the moment Everton thought he was in form and scoring, was recalled. Goalscorers are hard to let go, even on loan.

Everton are definitely a club to keep an eye on through, and the longer the window goes without Sunderland signing a striker the more likely it looks like Simms will end up back at Sunderland.

Because he has played for Everton, albeit sparingly, since his return, he cannot turn out for any Championship club, or any club anywhere else for that matter, this season except Sunderland. The Toffees are already making moves for their own striker targets, and when they get one it’s hard to imagine them wanting to leave Simms to stagnate in their under-21s.

Meanwhile, another reported loan target, Joe Gelhardt, looks a lot less likely to happen. Leeds want most of his £20,000 per week wages covered by any club who loan him, and that is unlikely to be within Sunderland’s reach right now.

There have been other reported targets, such as Sam Surridge, Jerry Yates and Jonson Clarke-Harris, but they all look like non-starters for a variety of reasons.

You could see the Surridge situation possibly changing as we get closer to the deadline, though, especially if Nottingham Forest sign a new striker. Even then Sunderland wouldn’t be favourites for his signature.

The ‘future’ striker

This one is a lot harder to predict, because it’s unlikely to be a player we know much about, just like Ross Stewart when he arrived.

It’s the kind of signing where the scouting department will be earning their money and scouring the globe to unearth some gem somewhere.

Andras Nemeth appears to be a player Sunderland are pursuing, and he ticks an awful lot of boxes. He’s tall, mobile, young, a good finisher and is out of contract in six months.

However, the latest reports from Belgium are that Genk will dig in during January and allow him to leave for free in the summer, so if Sunderland want that deal done this month there is still plenty of work to be done.

If it’s not going to be Nemeth, it will probably be someone who is a complete surprise.

The central midfielder

Tony Mowbray has explained that Sunderland are looking for a ‘number six who can become a number eight’. That’s just Mozza-speak for ‘box-to-box.’

He has used Dan Neil as the template for that and all he really means is a player who can defend when need and push forward when necessary. Evans can do the former, and Michut can do the latter, but Neil alone does both.

That explanation is why the Pierre Ekwah links are so credible as he ticks a lot of boxes in terms of style, physicality, age and profile. He is definitely someone who can step into the Championship immediately, and we know Sunderland have a good relationship with West Ham because of the Aji Alese deal.

That is definitely one to keep an eye on.

It’s likely that Sunderland are not going to want someone who can’t immediately make an impact at Championship level. They have ‘projects’ already in Ba and Michut, and it seems illogical to loan out Matete only to replace him with another player who is a step behind Championship level in their development.

The recruitment team are, therefore, likely scouring Premier League academies looking for players who are young enough to fit the model and budget but good enough to gamble on now.

Any big surprises?

If you were expecting them, they wouldn’t be a surprise, right?!

There have been some rumours in Argentina about interest in San Lorenzo full-back Agustín Giay, but rumours are all they are. They haven’t hit the Argentinian press yet, certainly, and they tend to be very much on top of transfers to Europe.

The rumours also suggest Sunderland wanting to sign just 70% of the player, but third party ownership is not permitted in English football, so it’s immediately iffy. The reported fee of €7million would also go against everything we have been told.

That said, while no one should be expecting such deals right now, Sunderland probably have an interest of players in Giay’s ilk as possibilities for the future because they are putting all sorts of succession plans in place.

They have also shown they are prepared to invest if the right player comes up at the right time, so you never really know if one of those deals will come up this month. The same can probably be said of the likes of Leeds defender Charlie Crewswell, who has also been linked. While Sunderland are not actively pursuing a defender, it doesn’t mean they won’t take the opportunity to get one if a good deal presents itself.

Generally speaking, though, no one should really be expecting any more incomings than a couple of strikers and a central midfield player.

What about departures?

Going into January, you’d have probably said there were four Sunderland players who looked likely to go out on loan: Jay Matete, Trai Hume, Niall Huggins and Leon Dajaku.

Of those, Matete has already gone, Hume has got (and taken) a chance in the first team, and Mowbray has ruled out letting Huggins go out.

That probably just leaves Leon Dajaku who could certainly do with some regular football. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him leave Sunderland on loan before the transfer deadline.

Ross Stewart and Alex Pritchard have both been linked with potential permanent moves away this month too, but it would be a major shock to see either leave.